Johnny Bravo's Strange Diversions
by theforlornmuse
Summary: It has been 4 years since Johnny Bravo and Mystery Inc crossed paths, and now fate conspires to bring their paths together once more. Join in on an adventure which spans the worlds of: Hanna-Barbera/Cartoon Network cartoons, DC Comics, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and more. What dangerous mysteries lie at the heart of this world?
1. Chapter 1

The familiar bend to the highway was coming up, soon the Ohio River would be in sight and before sight of home would unfold on the horizon. Daphne took the curve to the road smoothly, hoping not to wake up Velma, who had been sleeping since they had left Metropolis that morning. As nice as her family Mercedes was, she missed the sounds the Mystery Machine made, the creaks of the dashboard, the light scratching sound of the brakes, and the metallic springs of the suspension. But this trip was not one that required the full deductive powers of the mystery gang.

Hearing a drawn-out inhale from Velma, Daphne felt that her driving had not been quite as easy as she hoped. In the passenger seat her friend was stirring from her nap and adjusting her glasses as she sat up.

"What time is it?" asked Velma, blinking sleep from her eyes.

"Just after three." Replied Daphne, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel before looking to the navigation panel for upcoming traffic.

"You didn't stop for lunch." Said Velma, who figured it was a safe deduction due to the time and lack of food packaging in the car.

"I just wanted to get back." Said Daphne as she merged into the fast lane to pass a dark gray SUV. "Thankfully there wasn't any problem going through Baltimore or Washington."

"That's good." Said Velma, letting the conversation thread end there.

"Are you sure you want to wait until we're back to talk about what happened?" asked Daphne. It was not that she was hoping for some secret from Velma's recent experience at S.T.A.R. Labs, rather she was afraid Velma would internalize something stressful when she didn't need to.

"No, I'm fine Daph." Said Velma. They didn't always use their shortened nicknames for each other, "Daph" and "Velm", but when they did there was an unspoken understanding between the two of them to trust the other.

"Alright." Said Daphne, as they went across the bridge.

Being back home in Ohio was comforting enough and Daphne turned off the annoying navigation as she was able to finish the ride home blind. It was an unspoken truth, accepted among the Mystery Gang, that though Fred had the stamina of a long-haul trucker, Daphne was by far the better driver.

A turn before arriving in Coolsville, Daphne took the exit which led up to her family's estate. The Mercedes would go back in the family garage with the ten other vehicles her parents never used, and from there it was a short walk to the guesthouse which acted as company headquarters.

Approaching the driveway, she saw groundskeepers tending to the trees and flowers which lined the walking paths which led around the property. Parking just in front of the manor, Daphne gave Velma a nod as they got out of the car. Not missing a beat, the front door to the mansion opened and Jenkins, the Blake's loyal butler exited the house, directing the chauffeur to see to the car.

"Miss Blake, Miss Dinkley. Welcome home from your trip." Said Jenkins, giving a courteous, if somewhat stiff, bow.

"Thanks, Jenkins." Said Velma, who started around the side of the house to the Guesthouse.

"Did we miss anything?" Asked Daphne.

"You have a few company letters on the dining table. I took the liberty of cleaning the kitchen while Misters Rogers and Jones were working on modifying your corporate vehicle." Said Jenkins. "One parcel, in particular, was marked urgent, but your companions felt it only right to open it when you returned."

"Very good Jenkins. Any news from Mom and Dad?" The last Daphne has heard from her parents, they were taking a vacation in the South China Seas.

"Only that our father had a mild sunburn in Thailand and your mother had discovered an aversion to mango fruit." Daphne could tell that both of those statements were horrid understatements to protect her parent's dignity, but she appreciated Jenkin's dedication and professionalism which allowed him to fib if it meant protecting his employers.

"Keep up the good work then Jenkins. You have the house to yourself again tonight."

"Very good, I shall indulge myself with another evening of Doc Martin and earl grey."

With a smile, Daphne walked the path which around the property to the house she shared with Velma, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby. There had been a lot of renovations over the years, but it felt a lot more like home than her parent's mansion did.

Inside the garage, both Fred and Shaggy had their heads looking into the engine block of the old VW Bus. For the past two weeks, they had been tinkering with the new hybrid engine Shaggy had bought second-hand and working on installing it. Before her feet were every manner of tool strewn across the concrete floor, some even dangled precariously atop the engine hoist.

Leaving them to finish their work, she went inside, finding Velma was already sitting at the table writing notes on an old legal pad. With a sigh, she sat down and took a look at the mail. They all contributed to making their business work. Fred handled accounting, Velma moderated their website, despite Daphne's own objections Shaggy managed their social media image, which left communications to Daphne.

"Let's see here," Daphne spoke aloud, knowing Velma wouldn't mind the interruptions and would voice her opinions regardless. "A request to investigate strange cult activity in Iowa."

"Crop circles again? Pass." Said Velma, not looking up from her writing.

"Talk of giant lizards in Lubbock, Texas." Daphne said, reading another letter.

"That's from a conspiracy nut that has been trolling us for the past year. Check to see if the name is an anagram of Charles Torgo." Said Velma.

"Let's see here. Arles Gortoch… that's him alright." Daphne set the letter aside for Fred, knowing he enjoyed keeping their weird letters. There were a few fan letters she would let Shaggy respond to. Which left her with the last letter which was in a padded envelope. Turning it over, Daphne saw that this was the one Jenkins had mentioned was marked urgent. "This one is from out in California." As she tore open the top, Fred and Shaggy came in from the garage, the sound of which seemed to awaken Scooby-Doo from where their canine companion had been lying in the living room.

"When did you two get back?" Fred seemed a bit surprised to see their faces. "We were just about to fire up the new engine, want to come out to see?"

"Just a minute guys, take a seat." Said Velma, breathing in deeply as everyone sat down, Velma sorted her thoughts as she set down the legal pad in front of herself. Scooby-Doo stood up on his back legs and put his paws on the table to participate.

"Like, is this about your trip?" Asked Shaggy.

"You all know that it's no secret that S.T.A.R. Labs has been wanting to recruit me for a few years now. Somewhere between helping Batman catch the Riddler and helping out Wonder Woman on Paradise Island, we've gotten ourselves on a few government watchlists."

"Not to mention the time we went into space or crossed dimensions with KISS." Said Fred.

"We don't need to go through the list again." Said Daphne, giving Shaggy a look to stop him from adding to Fred's list.

"I spent all night at their offices, actually doing some work in their Chem lab. I got a little carried away with an alien alkahest sample they let me experiment with." Said Velma, clearing explaining to Daphne why she had slept on the drive home. "I guess my point is, this is the third time they've wanted to recruit me, and they have gotten more insistent that I accept their offer. If it were anybody else, this would be a dream job."

"You're going to turn them down again." Said Daphne, already knowing the decision Velma had reached.

"It's not the first time any of us has turned down an offer in order to stick together." Said Velma. "Don't get me wrong, S.T.A.R. Labs has some of the best facilities in the world, but they have a pretty bad reputation outside of their scientific accomplishments. That being said, I got the impression that I need to be very careful about how I turn them down this time."

"We support you Velma, and we're happy you want to keep the Mystery Gang going." Said Fred, breathing out a sigh of relief.

Getting up from the table, Shaggy washed the grease and metal tint from his hands before grabbing a handful of granola from the pantry. Petting Scooby on his head, Shaggy leaned against the doorframe leading to the garage. Seeming to have just gotten an idea, Shaggy got out his phone. "When we're done here, we need to get a selfie with the Mystery Machine. This is totally an Instagram moment."

"Sounds fine Shaggy, just let me finish up with the mail." Said Daphne.

"Sorry if I made you worry during the ride back Daphne." Said Velma.

"It's okay Velma." Said Daphne, smiling softly as she reached across the table to take her friend's hand. Returning her attention to the unopened package, Daphne checked the name as she emptied out the contents of the envelope. A letter, a smaller envelope, and a small item wrapped in plastic. "This is from Barbarossa Hanne Esq. out in Los Angeles, CA."

"Reesh, rhat a name." Said Scooby.

"Like, what's an Esq?" asked Shaggy.

"Esquire, it's a title that means lawyer." Said Fred, who quickly grew concerned when he saw how Daphne was frowning at the letter. "Something the matter Daphne? Is it a new case, a mystery?"

"It's a new case… or a very old one." Said Daphne, as she finished reading the letter.

 _Dear Mystery Incorporated,_

 _I took great pleasure in making your acquaintance some four years ago. I have since closely followed your exploits and adventures as you have spanned not only this great country of ours but the world. Perhaps it is a bit presumptuous of me to ask this of you, but I have some sensitive matters which I cannot entrust to anyone close to me for reasons which I fear I cannot elaborate upon, and which I fear I have run out of time to resolve on my own._

 _Enclosed with this letter are two items. The first is what I ask of you. A key, which neither I nor any of my living relatives know what it unlocks. The second is your incentive, an envelope containing two thousand dollars to pay for travel expenses to come out to California to find out what the key goes to. Should you decide not to investigate this mystery, then the two thousand dollars is for you to destroy the key instead._

 _Contact my attorney if you accept the case, but do not rely on him for anything outside of legal or culinary advice. I trust this letter finds you well and wish you all the best whatever you decide._

 _Best Regards,_

 _Jebedissa Bravo._

Tapping away at his phone, Shaggy dropped it on the table, revealing an obituary. "She passed away two days ago."

"She was a tough old lady." Said Fred, as the group at in silence to remember. After a moment had passed, he picked up the envelope to confirm that it was full of hundred-dollar bills. Velma, on the other hand, had unwrapped the key and was looking it over.

"I want to say it's bronze cast from the patina, but I'm not sure." Said Velma, examining the teeth of the old-fashioned key, she shook her head as she got out her magnifying glass for a closer look. "There are gears inside of the key's teeth, this is weird. What kind of lock would this even fit?"

"Is the Mystery Machine good for the road Fred?" asked Daphne.

"We finished the suspension yesterday, hooking up the engine to the new battery system was the last thing we needed and that's done. We can leave tonight if you want." Said Fred.

"Like, it's not even a question we're going, right?" Said Shaggy.

"Wouldn't pass this one by for the world." Said Velma, flipping her magnifying glass in her hands and beaming a smile.

"Right ron. Ret's ro to Rali!" said Scooby-Doo, the old dog seemed as energetic as a puppy at the thought of returning to the west coast, and thoughts of a mystery to be solved.


	2. Chapter 2

As she passed by the strip mall's parking lot, Bunny was only too glad to see most of the spaces were occupied. But nothing equaled the pride she felt in seeing the bright yellow letters spelling out "Bravo Gym". Carefully driving her Cadillac around the back, she pulled up to the rear entrance and wrestled with the old parking brake for a minute before she was finally satisfied.

"Gonna need to get that fixed one of these days." Said Bunny, sharply exhaling through her nose in disappointment. Carefully exiting the car, Bunny smoothed out the fabric of the black dress she had picked up at the bargain clothing store earlier that day and would likely be returning before closing time.

Using her key on the back door, she walked into the office and looked out on the floor of the dojo wing where her son Johnny was instructing the junior class, though she could never remember if Tuesdays were Karate or Jiu-Jitsu. On the desk, before her lay the monthly accounting report, all the printed figures on the Gym's membership and expenses calculated and undersigned by Carl C.

"Another month barely in the black." Sighed Bunny, putting the ledger down. "Business has all the risk of gambling with none of the thrill. But there are some nice parts."

Looking up, she saw students pair off and practice throwing one another over their shoulders. Standing up to give a wave through the window, Johnny acknowledged her presence before turning his attention to Suzy, the little redhead, helping her work on planting her feet into the mat and standing properly to get the right center of balance for her turn at a throw. A few attempts later and she pulled off the move successfully with the rest of the class, prompting cheers and pats on the back.

"And on that note, it's top of the hour." Johnny declared to the class, pointing out a group of parents waiting outside. "Rise, bow, and dismissed. See you again on Thursday."

The departing students calling him "Sensei Bravo" would always put a smile on his face. With respectful bows, the students grabbed their bags and filtered out of the dojo, leaving Johnny to pick up the mats and store them in the closet. After the mats were away, he got out the broom and started sweeping the wooden floor. With the flip of a switch, Bunny turned on the radio, allowing Johnny to work to the music that was playing on the main floor of the Gym. Spinning around the broom handle as a dance partner, Johnny then pretended to sing along with the classic rock song. Once the room was cleaned to his satisfaction, Johnny wiped his brow and came into the office.

"Whoa now! Who is this classy dame sitting in my office? You look like you walked out of some Detective novel. My mama warned me about women like you, flame fumitories, I think." Said Johnny, teasingly.

"That's femme fatales Johnny." Said Bunny with a chuckle.

"Yeah, that's what I said." Said Johnny, who paused for a moment before continuing. "So, how was it?"

"The wake?" Said Bunny, her sister Jebedissa had opted not to have a burial. Her ashes were on display at the old family home in the northern hills, before they would be placed in the family crypt on the property with their ancestors. "It was about what I expected."

"That bad huh?" Said Johnny, changing out of his gi and into a black t-shirt. "As much as I didn't want to go, it all happened so fast I couldn't have canceled classes even if we needed to be there."

"My sister never wanted much to do with either of us, and she wasn't the only family member who felt that way." Said Bunny, leaning back to sit against the office desk. "I saw my aunt and uncles at the wake, sitting in their gilded wheelchairs. Not a one of them had a tear in their eye, the only sign of life I could recognize were their hateful stares. And not only them, but my cousins as well." Letting out a sigh, she shook her head to release the tense memory. "Is it any wonder why I prefer our family back in the old country?"

"Not at all. There are some good Bravos back in Scotland and Ireland." Said Johnny, putting a sweatband across his forehead before checking his hair in the large mirror on the wall. "So, they're just in town to see about Aunt Jebedissa's will, right? After that they're leaving to go back up to Reno, or wherever it is they live."

"Something like that." Sad Bunny, motioning for Johnny to follow her outside. "Come with me Johnny, I've got a few boxes I got from my old room that I brought with me."

"You still had stuff in that old house?" Asked Johnny.

"Jebedissa and I were never on good terms, even as kids, but we always respected each other's privacy. I managed to save a few old family albums and knick-knacks from my grandmother. Nothing fancy, but we've got so many boxes at the house they'd get lost in the shuffle."

"I told you there was no need to bring back all that stuff from when we lived in India." Said Johnny, stepping out into the afternoon sun and walking to the trunk of the Cadillac. "You brought back almost an entire film studio with you."

"Oh, you never know when you might need that stuff, not to mention the collector's value." Bunny chuckled as she unlocked the rear of the car.

Looking down, Johnny saw the two boxes his mother had mentioned. One had a large binder with a flowery cloth embroidered on the cover with the word Album intricately sewn on. The other just looked like a box of books, one of which seemed like an adventure title with the letters "journ" on the cover. Carefully lifting the two boxes, he waited for his mother to open the door and followed her inside.

"Just put those in my employee locker. All I keep in there is a change of sweats I never use anyways." Upon opening the locker, a sizeable stack of clothes tumbled to the floor, prompting an "Oops, forgot about those." from Bunny.

"Let's just put these in Carl's locker. We gave him a locker, but he's got an office at that firm of his or whatever." Gently setting the boxes down, Johnny closed the locker before grabbing a cloth bag and scooping up his mother's clothes and wrapping them up neatly. "How about I run these by the laundromat on my way home?"

"That would be awfully kind of you." Said Bunny, giving her son's cheek a pinch.

With a nod, Johnny grabbed a couple of elastic bands and began some warm-up stretches. As Bunny quietly paced around.

"You still troubled about the wake mama?"

"There were a lot of faces there I haven't seen in years, and even more that I couldn't recognize at all. We own a lot of property up in those hills. Most likely they're all a bunch of landgrabbers hoping to buy out our family's property. Part of that makes me sad, but the other part makes me think that maybe our family name still means something."

"From the Italian for bold." Said Johnny, giving his mother a knowing smile.

"And never forget it." Said Bunny, walking to the mirror to see how she looked in the dress. "On second thought, maybe I'll keep this dress. It's slimming."

"Just don't let Chris see you in it. The last thing I need is for you to break another client's heart." Johnny teased his mother.

"Oh, is that why you're doing your stretching now? You've got an evening workout session with Chris H?"

"His last name starts with an H? No wonder I can never remember it. You know I can't keep track of all those movie stars."

"Just remember to get a post workout video up on Instagram and social media. Those bring in more customers to the gym than those silly television commercials you used to do."

"I worked hard on those commercials." Said Johnny, remembering the series of choreographed stunts and comedic pratfalls he had filmed to promote his gym before they had opened. He had been particularly proud of the one where he arm-wrestled an elephant's trunk. "I'll remember mama, promise."

"Good boy." Sad Bunny as she got up to leave.

Left alone in the office, Johnny finished up his stretches before taking a seat. Picking up a grip trainer, he finally had a moment to think about the passing of his Aunt. The few childhood summers he remembered up at the family ranch, and his aunt's strange habit of playing cruel practical jokes. His grandmother's soft gray hair and kind eyes, the only relative other than his mother he had realized liked him. The last time he had gone up there was a hard memory to revisit. Closing his eyes, Johnny opened the bottom drawer in his desk and blinked away the memories as he looked down at the portrait he kept there.

A knock on the window brought his attention back to the present. The painfully handsome features of the man on the other side of the glass were unmistakable. Every time Chris came to the Gym, Johnny had to remind himself that one of these days he had to visit Australia to see if his friend Chris was the exception or the rule.

"Johnny, my man!" Chris said, opening the door to the office and taking Johnny's hand in a mid-air grasp. Once Chris had tried to repeat the line from that famous 80s action movie, but Johnny had been quick to correct any such language or implications about his mother.

"Chris, I heard about your latest movie. Congratulations on the success."

"Oh, you know how it is Johnny. A collaborative process, so many people involved. Would they all be lost without me, of course not. But there's no denying that they're better off with me involved." Turning his head, Chris motioned to the open floor of the dojo. "I hope you don't mind, but a couple of friends of mine tagged along wanting to check out our training session."

"I don't know man. I mean, sure it's been great doing sessions with you on the down low, and yeah, I've advertised it to help my gym's business. But I don't know if I want to make this a regular thing." Johnny paused for a moment looking out the window at where two others were waiting.

"So, I should tell my friends Robyn and Martin that we're doing a private session tonight?" Said Chris.

Johnny paused to look closer outside, recognizing the attractive woman as a famous R&B singer and the man as an English actor. It did not take but two seconds for Johnny to think about the matter.

"Well, it would be rude to turn them away. I'm sure we can work something out with them." Chris smiled at the news and went out to tell the good news to his friend. Bending over to lift a stack of four medicine balls, Johnny took a moment to slowly close his desk drawer before walking out to his dojo to greet his evening's exercise partners.


	3. Chapter 3

Beth I know you're lonely

And I hope you'll be alright

'Cause me and the boys will be playing all night.

Rolling her eyes, Velma reached forward to turn off the radio as the closing melody of Beth droned on. Surprisingly neither Fred nor Daphne objected to the action as they drove on. The backroads of central California were hard enough.

"I still think it was probably all just holograms." Said Velma.

"We're not having this conversation again." Said Fred.

"I'm just saying it's not out of the realm of possibility. A few special effects, bright lights, a touch of theatricality." It was not a point Velma was ready to let go yet.

"Are you okay Velma?" Asked Daphne.

"It can't be the drive." Said Shaggy. "The new engine has been running smooth and quiet all the way."

"You've seemed a little on edge since the Rockies. We drove right past WWE City, we only stopped in Las Vegas for gas. We've barely stopped at all this whole trip." Said Fred.

"I just don't like California much is all. I want this trip to be over already." Said Velma, shifting in her seat to look out the window.

Shrugging his shoulders, Shaggy rubbed Scooby-Doo's head and relaxed in his seat. "As long as we make it to three more In 'N Outs while we're here. I need to even out the towers back here, shake shack is running away with the lead."

Looking over her shoulder, Daphne gazed into the back of the van where Shaggy had stacks of brown fast food bags stapled together leaning against the wall resembling some sort of trashy city skyline.

"Yeah, about those Shaggy. I was fine with how those kept you busy on the trip, but we're almost there and you are throwing those away at our next stop." Said Daphne with a look on her face that silenced any potential objections Shaggy was thinking of raising.

The backroad came across the highway and Fred guided the Mystery Machine up the onramp somewhere outside of Santa Clarita.

"Oh-ho Magic Mountain Scoobs!" Said Shaggy, exciting the old hound, who leaped up to the front seat to get a better view out the window. The dog's eyes immediately locked upon the restaurants on either side of the freeway.

"Fratrurger! Ran we strop rere?" Asked Scooby-Doo.

"Not there Scooby." Said Daphne, giving the dog a scratch. "We're stopping at a gas station before dropping by the Country Club to freshen up."

"Rountry Rub?" Asked Scooby-Doo.

"You know what that means Scoob? Club sandwiches like this high?" Said Shaggy, spreading his arms as wide apart as he could, which got the dog excitedly wagging his tail as he got into the rear of the van, knocking over all of the carefully stacked bags he and Shaggy had spent the better part of two days making look like the skyline of San Francisco.

"Rawwww… rhe Ransamerica Ryramid." Said Scooby, realizing he had missed the opportunity to play the role of a movie monster.

Pulling off the highway, they stopped at the gas station, allowing everyone a moment to stretch their legs, fill the hybrid engine's gas tank, and dispose of trash. Staying in her seat, Velma got out her notebook to scribble down a detail on a chemical formula she was tinkering with back home. Realizing her legs were nearly asleep, she left the Van and took a short walk to the north sidewalk to look out on the scenery. The Santa Clara River was just out of sight, not that there was any water in it. What passes for rivers in Southern California are dry beds where trees grow because when there is any rain that is where the water collects underground. Even though she understood why it happened, it seemed so strange to her.

The footsteps coming from behind were clearly Daphne's, probably come to call her back to the can. However, her friend merely stood next to her and gave her a playful nudge on her arm.

"So, have you called him to say you're in town?" Asked Daphne.

"Called whom?" Velma could see a coy look in Daphne's eyes.

"You know very well who I mean." Said Daphne, running her fingers through her hair, lifting her bangs up to resemble a pompadour.

"No." Said Velma, letting out a sigh and shifting as she stood. Daphne did not need clarification as to what that answer meant.

"You have thought about it though?" Asked Daphne.

"Of course, I have." Said Velma. "We're solving a mystery given us by his dead aunt. I know the odds are high we're going to run across or have some contact with him, but I guess I'm not really sure what to say."

"Wouldn't hurt to start with 'hi Johnny.'" Teased Daphne, which prompted an annoyed look from Velma. "I'm just saying you're probably overthinking it."

"And which part am I overthinking? The ridiculously intricate bronze key sent to us by a dead woman we knew for one evening, or the part where I'm nervous about running into my ex-boyfriend who I broke up with the night he proposed to me?" Velma took a deep breath to work out her frustration.

"Sorry, I forgot about that part." Said Daphne, looking down.

"It's been four years, one of those things that doesn't bother me unless I think about it. That's my secret Daphne, I have a hundred things to think about at any given moment to keep me focused, keep my wits sharp."

'And your heart cold.' Thought Daphne, feeling a little sorry for her friend, she gave Velma a pat on the shoulder before walking back to the van.

As soon as everyone was gathered back at the Mystery Machine, and Fred with satisfied with his job cleaning the windscreen, they drove south a couple of blocks to the nearby country club. A flash of ID from Daphne and they were waved through to the parking lot. Getting to the front desk, Daphne was seen to by three overly eager lobby attendants. The woman behind the desk waved everyone else over, rolling her eyes at her fellow employee's actions.

"You're welcome to use the showers in the gym, if either of you gentlemen are planning on having lunch in the dining hall we will ask you to wear our club's jackets which will indicate you as guests of a member." With a free hand, the employee motioned to a tidy rack of blue sports jackets around the corner of the desk.

Without missing a beat, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo were already donning the jackets and strolling towards the dining hall.

"Always count on those two to know what their priorities are." Said Fred, smiling. "I'm going to take a quick jog before a shower."

"That's where I'm headed." Said Velma, grabbing a towel and determined to find her way without help.

"Let's meet back here in an hour then." Said Daphne. "Don't want to spend too much time here."

Ear turned back to Daphne, Scooby-Doo raised a paw to indicate that he heard the instruction as he imitated the distinguished walk of an upper-crust gentleman. Being seated by a waiter, Shaggy raised his hand and refused the menus.

"We would like sixteen club sandwiches, my good man. Pile them in stacks of eight and check on us again after we have finished those." Shaggy's confident nod was met with a look of utter confusion, but the waiter shrugged his shoulders and muttered something about that not even being the strangest order he had ever received.

"Roah Raggy, rhis prace ris rosh." Said Scooby-Doo.

"You said it Scoobs. I know Daphne doesn't like to rely on her family, but if she wants to take pit stops at places like these more often, well like it wouldn't bother me none."

"Reck rat ruy rout." Said Scooby-Doo, pointing over at two men seated at the bar. The one on the left was adorned in orange plaid, golfing clothes but the other was the textbook image of a lawyer in a suit, though the two, great blue-feathered wings sticking out from his back were rather unique. Despite their best intentions, Shaggy overheard a bit of their conversation as he looked in their direction.

"Listen, Harvey, it's just a retainer payment in case I need your help if something arises." Said the golfer, who looked like a young man with a narrow nose and sunken cheeks.

"But if I accept it, it's as good as a contract. You know that as well as I do Chancellor. I don't know if I want you to have something waving over me. Besides, you had me drive all the way up here just to ask me this? From what you told me this was an open and shut estate deal." Said the man with wings.

"It's going to be a big deal though Harvey. At least hold on to the envelope if you change your mind you can get started right away." Said the golfer that the birdman had called Chancellor.

Losing interest in eavesdropping, Shaggy looked up at the ceiling before busying himself with making cloth origami shapes out of his napkin. As he finished folding a dove, he saw the birdman leave the restaurant as the waiter brought out their sandwiches. Stopping at the side of a table for a moment, the waiter nodded approvingly before serving the sandwiches.

"Let's take a moment to remember San Fran-paper bag-co." Said Shaggy, lowering his head for a moment in tandem with Scooby-Doo before he removed the toothpick with an olive at the top of the sandwich and chomping into the tower of bread, turkey, cucumber, lettuce, and thousand island dressing.

A shocked gasp arose from the other side of the restaurant, as the other patrons sat agape at the sight of man and dog tearing through their sandwich towers at record speed. A young child giggled at the sight but stopped at the disapproving gaze from his parents.

With only one sandwich left in front of him, Shaggy sat back feeling full, but somewhat unsatisfied.

"Romering rong Raggy?" Asked Scooby-Doo.

"Oh, you know Scoobs. It's just that you know I've been flirting with going vegan off and on the past few years. I always tell myself it's fine to eat whatever I want on the road, and just be more conscious with the food I cook at home. But it still bothers me a little I guess." Shaggy admitted.

"Rell, rif rour're reeling ruilty." Scooby-Doo leaned across the table to put his paw on his friend's shoulder, before swiping up the last sandwich and scarfing it down in a single bite. "Rat rould rease rour ronrince. Ree-he-he-he-he."

Unable to hold back a chuckle, Shaggy gave Scooby's head a pat.

The girls were back from their showers and sat down at the next table over. Velma had her magnifying glass out and was going over the bronze key they had gotten.

"Looking at, like, anything in particular Velma?" Asked Shaggy.

"Just the key we got in the mail. There are some weird markings on this internal cog, but I'm not sure if they're just scratches or not. So, I'm writing them down to see if there's a pattern or if there is a maker's mark or perhaps they are letters. Truth be told I'm more curious about the inside of this key than anything else." Replied Velma. "Kind of wish we had time to run it through a scanner or an x-ray, but Fred was way too eager to get on the road to test out the new engine."

"Well, you remember that old Bravo manor. It was a lot like all of those other spooky mansions we've been to over the years." Said Daphne.

"I guess that's part of my problem." Said Velma, because it meant that this was going to be another mystery floating around in her head with everything else. But she was unsure whether that meant it was going to be easier, or harder to not think about Johnny.


	4. Chapter 4

Despite the new air filters, Velma could still smell the dust from the road. It was only a few days into May but already California had already dried out from Winter and Spring showers and was not in a dry spell. At least the oak forests which surrounded the Bravo property were a change from the mile after mile of chaparral they had to drive through on the hilly backroads through the Santa Ynez Mountains. But even though the afternoon sun was still bright overhead, the road seemed dark and their surroundings dim with a haze.

"Okay gang, I think we're here." Said Fred, as the mansion came into view around.

"That's more cars than I expected." Said Daphne, eyeing the fleet of black cars which were parked along the side of the building, from the look of the license plates, it looked like most of the east and west coasts had gathered together.

"Let's get our bearings first. Last time we were here was at night, best to get our bearings while there is still some light." Said Velma, as Fred pulled to a stop away from the other cars.

"Like, I'm getting some weird vibes here." Said Shaggy, with Scooby-Doo weakly nodding in agreement.

Getting out of the car, Fred helped Daphne step down onto the loose ground underfoot. Wincing slightly, it was clear Daphne had gotten a bit of sand in her shoe, but she ignored the distraction as they made their way to the front door, which opened as they approached.

"Friends of the family, are we? Or are you here for business?" Asked the thin doorman with hair, mustache, and lips to match.

"A little of both, I guess. We're Mystery Incorporated, Miss Jebedissa sent for us before she passed." Said Fred, who wasn't exactly sure how to answer.

"Enter and be seated then." Opening the door, the house servant motioned towards the couches lining the entry hall before walking through a door to announce their arrival to an unseen group of people in the closed-off sitting room. A moment later exited a portly gentleman in a white suit with a smile that gave everyone the sudden urge to wash their hands.

"Ah, Mystery Inc. A pleasure to meet you, a pleasure indeed. I understand you received a letter from my office. I am Barbarossa Hanne esquire, I was Miss Bravo's personal lawyer." Said Barbarossa, whose hands felt as cold and sweaty as he looked.

"We understand that Jebedissa passed away shortly after she contacted us. We hope it was an easy passing." Said Daphne.

"Yes, quietly in the night as I understand. It was just her time I suppose." Said Barbarossa.

"From the look of all the cars, we take it that her family is gathered together." Said Velma.

"Ah, indeed. Jebedissa was the heir to the estate and has many cousins and distant relatives who came all this way to help remember her passing. They are currently having a family meeting now, so I don't think you'll be available to speak with them now." Said Barbarossa, looking nervously over his shoulder.

'More like arguing over her will and property.' Thought Velma.

"We don't want to intrude on the grieving family." Said Fred. "Would it be alright if we looked around the grounds until they are able to meet with us?"

"Well, I don't think they would object to that." Barbarossa pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked the door behind them. "You're free to the library or walk through the gardens until the family is finished."

The family library was a two-floor room with swivel ladders and glass cases arranged around couches, chairs, and desks with old-fashioned green reading lamps. Upon seeing them into the room, Barbarossa excused himself and left.

Walking up to a portrait of a man with gray hair in a purple suit, Fred examined the surface of the painting and tapped lightly against the frame, hearing a soft hollow sound echoing in the wall.

"Bryce Bravo. 1870-1922, Husband, father, orange farmer, and long-distance racer." Said Daphne, coming up to read the placard underneath the painting.

On the table was a property map, which Velma snapped a picture of on her phone before she tore out a piece of paper from her notepad to write on. When finished, she set it down on the table for all to read.

 _Anyone else gets the feeling that we're not wanted here?_

After everyone had read the note and nodded, Velma folded up the paper and stored it away in her pocket notebook.

"Okay, gang let's split up." Said Fred, who was shocked to discover that Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby were already opening the door to leave for the gardens. A gentle pat on the shoulder from Daphne caused Fred to chuckle that everyone knew him well enough to have a sixth sense for his split-up suggestions.

"I think this is a family history library." Said Daphne, pointing out a genealogy chart on the opposite wall.

"Yeah, the glass cases seem to contain family heirlooms." Said Fred, walking up to a case which contained railroad spikes and a horse saddle with a brass placard. "In memory of Butler, 'we ride under no more desert skies'"

"Looks like the Bravo family came from Scotland, nearby the Blake Clan. That's interesting, I never remembered hearing about them." Said Daphne, remembering their recent visit to her ancestral homeland.

"Here's the family tree. Bryce Bravo, 1870-1922, Brinsley Bravo, 1892-1944, Joy Bravo, 1930-1982, and Jebedissa Bravo, 1966…" Said Fred, noticing the obvious pattern.

"They all died at age fifty-two." Said Daphne, taking out her phone she quickly took a snapshot of the entire family tree, before going back to peek at the archives.

"Daphne, check this out." Said Fred, excitedly taking her arm to lead her to a section of the library wall. "It's the complete set of the Steel Ball Run Archives. Even most universities only have one or two of these in their private collections, and they have all twenty-four volumes."

"Steel Ball Run?" Daphne was searching her memory to remember. "Wasn't that the big horse race back during the old west where a hundred people died?

"Yeah, it was just a horse race, followed by one of the biggest cover-up operations in history." Said Fred. "You know I'm not really into conspiracy theories…"

"Not since your addiction to tabloids when you were a teenager." Said Daphne, teasing him. "Come on, it's not a big deal. Let's see what else is in here while we wait."

"Alright, Daph." Said Fred, quickly scanning through the first volume's list of racers before putting the book back on the shelf.

Outside, Velma and Shaggy had reached the "gardens" only to find a large lot of sand with shriveled fruit trees and the outline of a hedge maze grown into leafless thorn bushes.

"Whoa, creepy." Said Shaggy.

"Reah, reepy." Agreed Scooby-Doo, who gently bent down to sniff at the ground before letting out a weak sneeze.

Checking with her phone, Velma zoomed in on the property map and began to get her bearings. Last time they were here they had spent all of their time inside the house, but apparently, the Bravos owned hundreds of acres in these hills alone. Though the thorn maze was not on the map, there did seem to be a building somewhere inside that area which was marked "MAS".

"This way Shaggy." Said Velma, leading them into the maze. The corridors were overgrown and gave the impression that this was not a place that was cared for. "Despite Jebedissa taking on the guise of a Ghostly Gardener, I don't think she actually did any gardening."

After a few minutes of wandering through the maze, and Shaggy getting the shoulder of his shirt torn by a particularly long thorn, they reached the center where stood a white marble building in an ancient Greek style. Corinthian columns twisted their way down into the ground, revealing a stairway leading underground. Opposed to the rest of the maze, there were rose bushes in bloom and soft grass underfoot here in the center. Scooby-Doo walked over to the give the flowers a smell and let out a sigh of contentment.

"This part is tended to strangely enough." Said Velma with a frown. "The map has this labeled MAS for mausoleum. I guess that makes sense." Walking around the perimeter of the building showed a glass observation room which held a table with a single chair. What was odd was that there was no apparent door leading inside.

"Scoobs? Where'd you get to Scoobs?" Asked Shaggy, looking around to see that Scooby-Doo had gone.

"Did he go underground on his own?" Velma wondered. That seemed uncharacteristic of the dog, and she followed Shaggy down into the crypt. Just as she stepped down she felt her phone buzz with a text from Daphne.

 _The lawyer told us to leave, the family doesn't want us around. We have an appointment to meet with him tomorrow._

"Shaggy is Scooby down there?" Velma called from the top of the stairs, but after a moment with no answer, she was forced to go down as well.

Strangely, the crypt was not as dark as she had expected. Like there was still natural light filtering down through cracks in the stones, which should have been impossible. At the bottom of the stairs, the main room opened into two side rooms. Pulling out a pocket flashlight to illuminate the dark corners, Velma saw neither Shaggy nor Scooby down either side. However, sealed concrete boxes were labeled, seemingly containing the remains of members of the Bravo family. A bright yellow reflection on the far wall caught her flashlight, and she walked towards the flat wall which looked more like granite than marble.

As the light spot faded from her vision, she clearly saw the bit of metal which lay indented on the surface of the stone.

"A keyhole?" Said Velma, pulling out the key they had received from Jebedissa in the mail she checked to see if the size and shape of the key were a match and was disappointed when they seemed perfect. "It can't be this easy, this almost feels like a setup."

For a moment Velma was tempted to just toss the key to the ground and forget the whole thing, perhaps it was an impulse of frustration which compelled her, but she put the key into the hole and turned.

A shock of electricity ran up her arm accompanied by a mechanic gear turning and finally ending with a loud snapping sound. As the noises died down, Velma looked back at the key, seeing that the handle had been cleaved in half. It was a little awkward to pull out the key, which was falling apart in her hand, and as soon as it was out, the remains of the key practically turned do dust in her hand. All that remained was the single bronze wheel.

"Velma, there you are," Shaggy called from behind her. "Took me a while to find Scoobs down here. It's bigger than I expected, but there honestly isn't much down here, just a lot of dust."

Velma turned around to see Scooby-Doo proudly holding a bone in his mouth. Opening her mouth to object, Velma remembered that all the funeral placards on the wall were interment places for funeral urns. The Bravos only buried by cremation, so it was unlikely Scooby had found a human bone. Why did that seem weird though? Shaking her head to focus herself.

"We got a text from Daphne, they want us to leave the property." Said Velma.

"Like Bummer, I was hoping we'd could have stayed in this creepy old mansion for the night. Instead, we'll have to settle for some nice hotel with complimentary continental breakfast." Shaggy said sarcastically, prompting an oddly energetic approval from Scooby-Doo.

Letting the metallic dust in her hand fall to the ground, Velma pocketed the gear that had been inside the key and followed Scooby and Shaggy up the stairs and out of the maze.

By the time they had all arrived back at the Mystery Machine, Velma looked back at the mansion and saw faces looking down at them from practically every window in the house.


	5. Chapter 5

Bravo Gym's biggest draw was the 9 a.m. Saturday spin class, so much that the dry cleaners next door changed their operation hours just so they could participate. It was no picnic, figuring out how to store the sixty indoor cycle machines whenever the side room was used for personal training, but the smiles it put on people's faces were worth it. The fact that Carl and Mama were more concerned with how it raised their revenues by forty percent wasn't something Johnny really thought about.

"You don't participate in the class boss?" Vicente Feijóo, one of the Gym's regulars, asked as he chalked his hands.

"Not really," Said Johnny, "You know I have a bit of a clumsy streak. I've broken five cycles, two ellipticals, and a stair machine before I decided to just ban myself from using the Gym's machines."

A buzz on his pocket, caused Johnny to check his phone. A text from Chris H. simply said _I need you to come out to this LA address now, no questions._ With a follow-up giving a link to what seemed to be a pet store.

Over by the front door stood Louis Hewy, the weekend assistant manager who maintained a perfect, blonde, 80s mullet despite it being thirty years out of fashion. It helped distract from his clothes, a white sports jacket with white sweatpants and a purple-pink tank top.

"Hey, Louis. I've got to run an errand in LA. Keep a good watch brother." Said Johnny.

"Just as long as you're back by three, I've got things to do this afternoon." Said Louis, adjusting his ridiculous purple-pink tank top.

Making his way out back to his motorcycle, Johnny put on his specialized helmet so as not to muss his hair and started on the road. He avoided LA as much as he could, partly because he never liked riding through traffic, but there was something about the city sprawl that felt uncomfortable. It was different when you were on the streets, feeling the energy and the vibe coming from the people, but you get none of that on freeways.

Taking the exit right before Beverly Hills and going along the city streets would save him from highway congestion. He hoped this errand would not take too long, as he was hit with the idea to drive back to Aron City along the coast roads. Maybe stop for a few minutes at that café in Malibu he liked, and not mistake it for the one across the street he hated (unlike the previous ten times he had done that).

Pulling into a parking lot, Johnny walked the final block before pulling out his phone to call Chris H. but got a text response, I'm not able to talk right now.

"Strange." Said Johnny, as he came across the sight of Peebles Pet Shop with a large red sign in the front window saying CLOSED. "Well, this is the address. Now, where is that Aussie?"

"Johnny, up here. Use the ladder around back." Came a hushed voice from above. Chris H was leaning his head over the side of the roof, with a panicked look on his face.

"Oh, what game is he playing this time?" Asked Johnny. Maybe it was good for his social media presence, but these A-List stars were always so eccentric it sometimes became troublesome to be friends with them. Climbing up the fire ladder, Johnny reminded himself that even movie stars are people too.

Reaching the top, Johnny came into full sight of Chris' situation as a large, brown, adult gorilla was sitting on the actor's back, pinning him to the ground.

"I'm guessing this isn't just one of those inflatable advertisement gorillas you always see at car dealerships." Said Johnny, walking up to the pair.

"Johnny, finally." Said Chris. "I've been stuck under this gorilla for two hours. Be a good sport and help me out."

Walking up to the gorilla, Johnny noticed it was dressed in red shorts, green suspenders, and purple bow tie and bowler hat. More importantly, though, its eyes were red from crying. The gorilla was clearly upset or sad or depressed, but since there were multiple things it could be perhaps it wasn't so clear.

Taking a seat on the edge of the roof, Johnny looked at the scene before peeking off the side of the building. He immediately spotted a couple of photographers who were clearly paparazzi were on their phones calling for backup.

"So, what's the story, Chris? Short version, please I don't have all day." Said Johnny.

"I finished the press tour for my latest movie, you know the one." Said Chris H, giving that winning smile of his. "I wanted to get a gift for my kids before going home, I thought a pet might be nice, like a dog or something."

"And you got talked into buying the Gorilla?" Asked Johnny.

"The store clerk gave me a runaround. Before I knew what had happened, he handed me a bill of sale for a gorilla, booted the two of us out of the store, closed shop, and drove away as fast as he could."

"Let me guess, the Gorilla was emotionally attached to the store owner, so he dragged you up here and kept watching until he was out of sight." Said Johnny.

"Something like that." Said Chris, as the gorilla stopped crying and reached down to stroke his hair. "And now it's likely starting to get attached to me. But Johnny, I can't take a gorilla home to Australia."

"Not when you're pinned to the ground like that you can't." Said Johnny, starting to find some amusement in the situation, despite that comment getting a grimace from Chris. "Okay Chris, I'll help you out. I've dealt with Gorillas before, you'd think the writer would have been more original than to give me another monkey business adventure."

"What are you talking about?" Asked Chris, wincing at the Gorilla shifting its weight on his chest.

"Don't worry about it." Said Johnny, stepping up to the gorilla to tap him on the shoulder, he got a feel for the gorilla's center of gravity, and with a tackling roll got the ape off Chris.

The gorilla growled and made a sweeping punch in Johnny's direction. Just as Chris began to stand up, the ape grabbed him with his other hand and jumped to the next building over.

"This is why I didn't take that movie with The Rock, I can't deal with apes." Said Chris, as the gorilla carried him off like a child.

"Okay, it's going to be one of those days then." Said Johnny, starting his run, he made the leap to the next roof over and started chasing down the gorilla. Out the corner of his eyes, Johnny saw the group of paparazzi keeping pace on mopeds.

"This is so embarrassing!" Yelled Chris. "I'm a superhero for crying out loud."

"Look on the bright side, you might be able to get the role of the love interest in a King Kong remake now." Quipped Johnny, as he leaped over an air conditioning unit.

"Not helping." Shouted Chris, as the gorilla jumped up to the fire escape stairway of the adjoining apartment building. Stopping for a moment to get its bearing and steady its shaking legs, the Gorilla adjusted its hat before looking up. Meanwhile, the apartment resident peeked out the window to take a selfie with Chris, not wanting to let the moment pass them by.

"LA." Said Johnny, shaking his head as he quickly judged the distance before jumping over the alley to land two stories beneath the gorilla and Chris.

The chase led all the way up the apartment's rooftop before the Gorilla jumped over to the next building, some sort of business skyscraper in the later stages of construction. The jump seemed to be in slow motion, as the gorilla just barely managed to grab hold of an open window as it pulled both itself and Chris inside.

"And this is why I didn't want to do that other movie with The Rock." Shouted Chris.

"I get it Chris, you know The Rock. Stop name dropping already, you're embarrassing yourself." Shouted Johnny, getting a quick look at the construction, he saw his chance and jumped onto the passing cable of a crane which was lifting steel beams, carefully balancing himself before jumping into the building, landing confidently, Johnny felt the unfinished flooring collapse under his weight as he fell two stories down.

"What do you think your friend meant when he said he had dealt with Gorillas before?" The gorilla asked Chris, looking down at the scene of Johnny's fall.

"I don't know, I barely know the guy. We only work out together, it's a very casual thing I do when I'm in town, but since when could you talk?" Asked Chris.

Scratched up, bruised, and a little bloody from the fall, Johnny raced up the scaffolding to get back up to Chris and the ape. Large construction hammer in hand, he had a fire in his eyes.

"As your fitness advisor, I'd say that's enough fitness for today." Said Johnny, swinging the mallet at the steel support beam directly underneath where the gorilla and Chris were standing. The force of the blow knocked Johnny on his back, but the vibrations went up the metal and shook the gorilla, whose legs buckled as it tried to stand, causing it to let go of Chris as it tumbled over and begin falling down the side of the building.

"Yes, way to go Johnny." Said Chris, not realizing how precarious his own footing was. Metal rivets began popping out of the structure, as the I-beam Chris stood on tilted down sending him sliding off the building the same way the Gorilla had left.

Scrambling back to his feet, Johnny grabbed a spool of construction cable and ran to the side of the building, sliding the last few feet across the unfinished concrete to grab Chris' hand before the movie star fell ten stories to his death. In a split second, he knew he was off by inches and was not going to catch Chris. Letting his hand slid down the cable a few inches was risky, and could likely cut his skin, but he had to risk it.

The snap of Chris' weight under him ran through his body but it was his arm holding the cable that Johnny felt pop out of his shoulder. Looking down, Johnny saw he had caught Chris' hand and the two of them were as safe as they could be dangling off the side of an unfinished building.

"Johnny, you rock star!" Shouted Chris.

Looking down, Johnny realized he did not feel Chris' hand clasped to his own. More like there was a shadow of his hand that had grabbed the Aussie. Blinking twice, Johnny saw members of the construction crew rush up from the floor beneath them to grab the two of them and put them back on solid ground. A crewman was ripping up a piece of clean cloth and bandaging Johnny's bloodied left hand, but Johnny was more concerned with his right hand that had caught Chris. Turning it over to look at both sides, he saw none of the strange, metallic shadow that he saw make the saving grab.

By the time they were back on the ground, Johnny saw the press was already starting to gather, so he gave a quick wave to Chris before making an escape to his motorcycle. The whole experience had left him feeling weirded out, so much so that he realized he didn't even know what became of the gorilla until he was back at the gym.

In the back-room, Johnny changed out of the torn and bloody rags that were left of his clothes and looked at the mirror to see where his cuts were.

"Huh, that's weird." Said Johnny, "Not even a scratch." Looking down at the bloody bandage around his hand, he made a fist and didn't feel any of the pain he had dealt with all during his ride back. Unwinding the cloth, he rubbed off the dried blood and saw not even the slightest sign of a scar, and that was almost more concerning than the strange shadow he had seen.

Louis knocked on the door as Johnny finished changing into his spare clothes. "Boss, delivery man is outside, needs your signature."

The wooden crate stood ten feet tall with perfect holes drilled into the sides. A redhead hipster with a hair bun handed Johnny a clipboard, "One-Hour Express Delivery. Sign here, and there's a letter for you with the crate."

After signing, Johnny opened the letter to see it was a note from Chris.

 _Thanks for the help today Johnny, I figured I owed you one for saving my life, so I sent you this gift. Have a g'day mate. – Chris_

A quick swing of a crowbar later, and Johnny was greeted with the gorilla he had spent the better part of the morning chasing. Finishing a banana, the Gorilla stepped out of the crate, taking off its hat in a polite manner.

"Forgive my earlier rudeness, I was distraught over the retirement of my long-time associate Mr. Peebles. I'm afraid we haven't been introduced, Magilla Gorilla at your service, and you are my new owner." The Gorilla gave a polite nod before putting its hat back on.

Standing agape at the situation, Johnny felt Louis tap him on the shoulder. "Congratulations boss, you own a gorilla, think I'll head out early. Bye."

"Yeah, whatever." Said Johnny, in accepting disbelief.


	6. Chapter 6

"Nah, Ah've got no problem with you a-havin' this here gorilla as a pet. But, see here, if he's going tah be workin' in your workout parlor, he'll be needin' a work permit and that's where we have ourselves a sit'iation." Fixing his collar, the officer took a small breath, and even that sounded like it was done in a southern accent.

Johnny sat in his office across from the inspector from Animal Control. Given how all the desks were up against the walls, there was no separation between the two of them, Johnny had always liked how informal it made the place feel. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. If he knew letting Magilla work at the gym as a spotter was going to be a problem, he would have taken him back home, but there was barely enough space there for him as his mama, let alone a Gorilla. So, for the time being, he had let Magilla sleep in the office. It had seemed only natural that the ape could work around the gym after that. But not a day had passed before the local government came knocking.

"Ah brought there-here forms for y'all to fill aht. After you bring 'em to central we can get 'em processed and it shouldn't be but two weeks or so until you get a work release approved." Said the agent.

Johnny blinked twice to make sure he was actually awake and that this was really happening. Sure enough, he sat across from a well-mannered blue dog in a straw hat and red bow tie whom had introduced himself as Officer Huckleberry Hound. Sitting in the back of the office, his mother shook her head, clearly not knowing how to help her son's minor existential crisis.

"That's not convenient for my family or work life." Said Johnny, remembering yesterday's rooftop chase and knowing he'd have to be careful introducing his mother to a Gorilla.

"Whel, Ah'm sorry, the only options you've got are to take 'im home or Ah'll be a-forced to impound 'im." Said Huckleberry, who looked down at his phone when it gave a buzz and frowned upon reading the text message. "Consarn it, those cats again? Can we a-hurry this along, Ah've got a pressin' assignment ah need to git ta."

"I guess I can bring Magilla home for a couple weeks, have him sleep in my room or the backyard. It's been fair weather of late." Said Johnny, looking over the forms.

"Didja say Magilla? As in Magilla Gorilla?" Said Huckleberry.

"Yeah, you know him?" Asked Johnny, as Huckleberry reached across the table to pick up the forms and playfully held them in his paws.

"Magilla and Ah did a circus tour with each other years back. Ah'll tell you a-what now. How 'bout we make ourselves a deal. Ah need some extra help t'day, you a-come lend me a hand, and Ah'll fast track these-here forms and git you a permit by tonight. Nah, how does that sound?" Said Huckleberry.

Weighing his options, Johnny sighed before relenting.

"You've got a deal." Said Johnny, despite looking up to see his mother frown.

"Whel now, that's just great. No point in standin' around, let's mosey on out to git this done." Standing up, the Hound made his way out to his work truck.

"I don't think you should go Johnny. We can work something out." Said Bunny.

"Just easier this way Mama." Said Johnny, giving his mother a kiss on the cheek, Johnny left the office.

Giving a quick look around the floor, Johnny spotted one of his best trainers, Tiernie Dutton helping show Magilla how to stack the weight racks. She was almost his mother's age, but the fit blonde still a knockout, that and a flawless boxing right hook from her had taught him to keep his opinions to himself and their relationship professional.

"Teirnie, I've got to run. Can you take charge until I get back?" Asked Johnny.

"I'll charge you overtime, but sure." Tiernie said with a smirk.

"Yeah, whatever that's fine. Thanks." With a nod to her, Johnny's gaze went over to Magilla who gave a salute as he left. Pausing a moment, Johnny returned the salute before going out to the truck.

"Nah what was that just naw?" Asked Huckleberry as he started the truck and turned about in the parking lot.

"Legia Patria Nostra." Said Johnny, pausing for a moment while looking out the window. For some reason, he didn't mind the second trip to LA in as many days. After a moment he realized he hadn't answered Huckleberry. "I got to talk with Magilla last night over a pack of frozen bananas. Turns out he served in the French Foreign Legion a few decades back. Didn't figure I find a fellow binome out here, let alone in a gorilla."

Huckleberry smiled softly at that sentiment and kept driving. Eventually, they reached LA and pulled out into back alleys of a tall block of apartments.

"Ah think a word of warnin'd be best. Whe're not up against any awdinary strays naw." Handing Johnny a picture of a group of six cats, Johnny saw several garbed in scraps of clothing. "That-there's the Top Cat Gang, they came out of Manhattan a few years back and have been running circles 'round animal control ever since. Mostly it's been harmless garbage diving, but Ah just got a text that they did some property damage to a residential and that was the last straw."

"This one here in the hat and vest, that's the leader?" Asked Johnny.

"Why yes i'tis. Wait, naw how'd you guess that?" Asked Huckleberry.

"Because it's a signed photograph." Said Johnny, pointing at the signature on the polaroid. Handing it back to Officer Huckleberry, Johnny looked around the alleys and could feel that he was being watched.

"Look, boys, Officer Huck's got himself a rookie. Wonder if he's going to be one of those blue flamers." A voice called out with all the tone of a mocking meow.

"He's a big one, but I guess he'd go down in one snuff." Another called out as Johnny looked up to see a pink cat in a white turtleneck confidently walking along the narrow path.

"If you're here to start a beef, just come out and say it, Huck." A brown cat with a black tie stood up from a dumpster and cracked its knuckles.

The sun was nearly right overhead, clearing most of the shadows, lighting up the alley like a city in the old west. As the final shadows cleared, a dark figure at the end of the backstreet came into view. Head and shoulders above the blue cat to his side, the yellow Abyssinian in a purple porkpie and vest slowly walked down the lane toward Johnny and Huckleberry.

"Have we been too wildin' for your boys downtown? You here to catch these hands?" Said Top Cat, lifting his paws and tilting his head to take in the measure of Johnny. "What do you got on this guy Benny?"

"I don't have anything TC. I've never seen his face in the department's records." The blue cat said timidly.

"Guess they called in backup after that job we pulled in Bel Air. Then I guess we'll just have to scrap it out. Boys!" Top Cat called out to the alley, summoning the remaining two members of his gang from out of hiding.

"Look I'm not here for trouble. Just come in quietly and we'll get this sorted out." Said Johnny, trying to de-escalate the situation. Top Cat responded with a wry frown and a bare shake of his head, which was all the signal his gang needed to attack.

Grabbing the neck of his shirt, Johnny took it off in one swift motion and threw it in the face of a lazy-looking orange Persian, while the second tabby in a scarf took a jumping swipe at him. Its claws left three light marks on his arm but grabbing the scarf, Johnny lifted it from the ground and tied it up to a storm drain.

Tucked into the back of his pants was his Karate gi, which he quickly tied on as he sidestepped attacks from the pink and brown cats which scurried behind a stack of newspapers. The Persian came back around for another attack, claws bright in the sunlight it moved to slash Johnny from behind. Kneeling down, Johnny caught its paw and twisted before tossing the cat over his head with its own momentum down onto the concrete.

"This one's a regular scrapper now he is." Said Top Cat, slowly walking down the alley. Pulling a walking stick, seemingly from nowhere, he faced down Johnny and Huck while his subordinates regrouped behind him. As he began to circle around Johnny, they spun to keep their eyes locked on one another. Standing in Johnny's Shadow, Top Cat was unable to hide his confident smile. Tapping his walking stick on Johnny's shadow he yelled out, "Get him, boys."

As Top Cat walked away, he had two shadows, Johnny was sure of it. He was unable to dwell on that thought, as the five cats all jumped at Johnny from behind, but even though their clumsy movements gave Johnny all the warning he needed, he was not even able to so much as turn around to see their attack. It was not a matter of reflexes, but rather he felt his muscles freeze. They scratched his gi, kicked his joints, and the small blue one smashed a garbage bin over his head. Falling to the ground, Johnny removed the bin from his head and looked up at Top Cat looking down on him.

"Need another lesson then?" Asked Top Cat, tapping his walking stick on the ground again, and once more Johnny saw the second shadow but in greater detail, like a second cat holding a dancing cane. With TC's signal, the other cats charged in, delivering kicks into Johnny's abdomen, biting his shins, and even headbutting him.

'What is going on?' Thought Johnny, 'I can't move, let alone fight back. These cats are pushovers though.' After a moment, Johnny could feel his muscles return to his control. Rolling away, he leaped up to his feet, swatting away the brown cat at his leg before landing on his back. Dazed from the attacks, Johnny looked up into the sky and shielded his eyes from the sun. 'Wait, the sun. Both times I froze, Top Cat went out of his way to tap my shadow with his walking stick. Is something going on with that?' Righting himself, Johnny made sure to keep Top Cat in his line of sight and well away from his shadow.

"Johnny!" Yelled Huckleberry. "Let's get-on out of here."

"You boys don't even know why you're down here in the first place. Beat it before you really get hurt." Taunted Top Cat.

"Shadows. You can freeze people by touching their shadows." Said Johnny. "It wears off if other people move your target. Tricky little cat, aren't you?"

"Figured it out have you?" Gloated Top Cat. "Won't help you win." All at once the lights in the alley seemed to condense around the cat, reflecting off his shadow until a second metallic cat stood by his side. The entity looked like a cross between Top Cat and Fred Astaire, with top hat and dancing cane, it's body was chrome and black enamel buffed to a mirror shine. "This time I think I'll finish you off myself, that should send the right message to any flunkies with the nerve to come after me and my crew. Puttin' on the Ritz!."

Top Cat leaped up to bounce off the side of the wall, easily dodging a swing from Johnny to try to catch him in mid-air.

"This is my win kid." Said Top Cap, gently tapping Johnny's shadow with his cane, this time Johnny saw that it was the signal for the second cat to latch onto Johnny's shadow with its claws, holding him in place.

"What in 'tarnation is goin' on? We need t'git outta here." Said a frightened Huckleberry.

"Should have listened to my mother's warning. Mama told me not to come." Said Johnny, who felt the air ripple around him like his spirit has caught fire and jumped from his body. As Top Cat leaped forward with another attack, the fire became solid and a fist of metal struck forward catching the cat right across its chin. As the fires burned down, an entity stepped forward and kicked away the metallic cat grabbing Johnny's shadow. Finally, in view, Johnny saw a metallic version of himself standing before him, not a moment passed before it seemed to sync up with Johnny's own movements like it was an extension of himself.

"He got T.C., jump him!" Shouted the other cats as they attacked. Turning about, Johnny saw a comb appear in the hand of his double, miming the motion of combing its pompadour, charged the attacking cats with incredible speed.

"Hya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya!" The shadow shouted as it touched each of the cats with its comb, causing each of them to fall to the ground as though they had been frozen.

"What is this? It's like my entire body is stiff. Like we fell in quick cement." Complained the pink cat.

"Hair cement." Replied Johnny, instinctively knowing what had happened to the cats.

"Ah'm not sure what just happened there Johnny, but that-there was good work." Said Huckleberry, rising back to his paws. "Let's get these-here strays into the cages in the truck, then Ah can take you back to Bravo Gym."

"Bravo?" Asked the blue cat. "Wasn't that the name of the lady T.C.?"

"I knew it was too fast to be a coincidence." Said Top Cat, struggling to move but unable to.

"Hold on now Huckleberry." Said Johnny, "How about you get the truck and I'll keep an eye on these cats. Make sure they don't get away."

"Good idea." Said Huckleberry, leaving the alley.

"Talk." Said Johnny, looming over Top Cat.

"We were in Bel Air this morning, we go there to dive through dumpsters for discarded clothes to fix them up and sell to second-hand stores. It's a good racket. Well, we've got sharp hearing, and this one house we went to we overheard the people talking. There were people having a very loud argument and talking about 'faking the will', the woman was tall, swirling purple hair, one of them I think was her son who had a head like a skunk with blond and black streaks, didn't see the second man because we beat it when Choo-Choo here knocked over their trashcans and they got wise to us." Looking over to the pink cat, Top Cat continued. "As we were leaving we saw that the house belonged to some family named Bravo, and here you are come hunting us down Mister Bravo."

From behind, Johnny heard Huckleberry pull up and park his truck. Realizing that his left fist was clenched, Johnny relaxed it and all at once the cats looked like they were starting to recover.

"Top Cat." Said Johnny, adjusting his sunglasses after the fight. "Get your gang in the truck. LA isn't safe for you right now."

"What's the call T.C.?" Asked the blue cat.

"Something tells me we're out of our pay grade here gang." Said Top Cat, retracting his claws. "We got clipped, but in the process found ourselves in the center of some world-changing circumstances. I say we play along for now because now I'm curious to see where this goes."

"You and me both cat." Said Johnny, breathing out he felt his shadow fade and disappear back inside him.

"By the way kid. Nice Stand you've got there." Said Top Cat.

"Nice what now?" Johnny asked as his eyebrow reflexively raised itself.

* * *

Stand Guide:

Puttin' On The Ritz (1982 song by Taco) - Stand of Top Cat  
Power - C  
Speed - B  
Range - D  
Durability/Endurance - C (Decent "grip strength", not really a combat stand)  
Precision - C (while a precise stand, it requires direction from Top Cat)  
Development - C

Top Cat's Stand appears as a metallic Cat, approximately 1.3 meters tall (with top hat). A body of chrome with a black waistcoat, gloves, and socks which have a mirror shine. When Top Cat touches a person's shadow with his cane, it's the signal for Puttin' On The Ritz to grab onto that person's shadow, pinning them in place. They cannot move on their own, but enough movement inflicted upon them from outside sources will dislodge Puttin' On The Ritz requiring it to reset.


	7. Chapter 7

Tapping the table in frustration, Velma took off her glasses to rub her eyes before closing the ancient cuneiform volume before adding the book to the stack filled with ancient languages and dead ends. Looking up at the clock, she knew it would be too late to make another run down to the library for research materials. Best to leave that for the morning. She hadn't been in LA for a day yet and already she wanted to leave.

Getting up to stretch, she walked over to the window to see Shaggy and Scooby-Doo playing in the yard, which meant they had either just gotten back from their dinner run or they had forgotten about it entirely. Splashing some water on her face, she went next door to see how Daphne and Fred were doing and hoping to find some dinner.

The motel they had found was the first one to allow pets, which was the reason they took it. And while it was not the nicest place they had ever stayed, it was far from the worst. At least the view of the city from the second story was nice. Still, the night had a dry heat lingering in the air, but Velma knew it could turn chill at any moment, so she rubbed her arms through her sweater.

"Please tell me Shaggy remembered to get dinner." Said Velma, walking into the room where Fred had put everyone's luggage.

"It's on the counter there Velma." Said Daphne, looking over a book while absentmindedly playing with an empty Chinese food container with chopsticks still in her hand.

The orange chicken glaze had fused together with the noodles in the shape of the box, but a quick stir helped break the food apart again. Taking a seat next to Fred, Velma looked over the copies of record books and photographs they had scattered on the table in front of them.

"Do you want to go first or should I?" Asked Velma.

"By all means Velma." Said Fred, writing a few notes down as he went through a list of names and dates.

"Thirty languages, symbols, and even cryptic forms and short hands from the Bronze Age. I even picked up a book on oracle bone characters from the Shang Dynasty. There's nothing even remotely similar to the symbols on the gear." Taking one of the photographs of the gear and putting it on the table, Velma traced her fingers along the outer circle with its fourteen teeth each marked with a different symbol. The inside track of the gear had not been visible until it had broken free from the key, but there were grooves on the inside as well, perhaps where a secondary gear could fit, but there was nothing left from that key to fit inside to test that theory.

"We haven't had much luck figuring out what that gear goes to either." Said Daphne, using a napkin to wipe away some sweat from her forehead. "Most of our findings have been about family holdings, property, land rights, investments, things like that. The Bravo family owns land from here to Minnesota, and Jebedissa was the heiress to all of it."

"I'm not really comfortable with this." Said Fred. "Most times we get to meet with the people, get a feel for them before we figure out what's wrong. But this time we come into a situation blind, get stopped at the door by a shady lawyer, and are told to leave before we come face to face with members of a family we're trying to help."

"They don't see us as being here to help." Said Velma.

"It could just be that they're grieving and didn't want to see us." Said Daphne, trying to see it from another point of view.

"Perhaps." Said Fred, finally settling down his work. "Jebedissa did warn us about her lawyer though. Odd thing to do. Perhaps she knew that he was really working for her relatives but didn't want him to get suspicious."

"Suspicious of what?" Asked Velma, angrily setting down her food, and no longer able to hide her frustration. "What are we even here to do Fred? Oh, no doubt there's a mystery here, but it doesn't really concern us does it?"

A silence lingered in the room until the sounds of feet rushing up the stairs and along the balcony led right to their door. Shaggy entered the room, barely able to keep Scooby-Doo from tackling him to the floor. The dog's tail was wagging with abundant energy as he picked up his new toy bone from the ground and put his head in Daphne's lap. Giving Scooby's head a scratch, Daphne tossed the bone across the room for him to fetch.

Sensing the mood in the room was off, Shaggy pulled up a chair and leaned against the wall.

"Posted a couple of videos online of me and Scoobs playing outside. Think those are going to get good responses. I tell you, he's been feeling a little low the past few months but being back on the road and working a new case like this, old dog has got the energy of a puppy again." Shaggy sat forward and looked around the table at his friends. "I think we're all a little tense from the road. A little shut-eye on a nice soft bed will do wonders, what do you say?"

"Gang, I'm with Shaggy." Said Fred. "We'll continue our talk in the morning, okay?"

"Okay." Said Velma, helping Fred and Scooby take their bags over to the other room, letting Velma and Daphne stay. The pause in the air as things started to settle for the night did little to break the tension she had felt.

A sad look from Daphne said enough, and Velma nodded her head before the two of them got ready for the night. Sleep did not come easy, a dream of doors and symbols she couldn't read, she pulled out her magnifying lens to see clearer and all at once she could understand, there was a message written on those doors. Running from one to the next they urged her onward, to go faster, to not look back as the lights in the hallway all died around her. The last door lay before her, and as she reached forward to open it the arm of a man, draped in darkness snapped at her.

"No Peeking," he said, his thin lips parting and growing forward revealing an inhuman mouth that was more like a beak that snapped at her.

Waking up with a start, Velma put on her glasses to see that it was just after seven. Daphne was taking her shower and next door Shaggy was clearly playing with Scooby from the sounds coming through the wall. Sitting up, Velma grabbed her knees and steadied her breath, trying to find a single calm place in her thoughts to settle down from her cold sweat. The only one she found was a memory of a dance hall, being held close and dancing slowly to "I can't help falling in love with you."

Reaching up to touch her lips as the memory ended, Velma saw Daphne coming out of the shower, so she stood up to take her turn in the restroom.

"Hey Daph, sleep well?" asked Velma, seeing Daphne come out, still in a towel and holding one hand to her right temple.

"Not really. I hope it was the Chinese food but I'm not certain." Said Daphne.

"Oh, come on, there's no evidence about any harmful effects of msg." Joked Velma, before taking a critical look at Daphne's condition. "Yeah, you look a little shaken. Sit down, I'll get the boys."

Leaving the room, Velma walked outside only to see a very expensive car was sitting in the parking lot behind the Mystery Machine. The wheels where something to behold, she had seen whitewall tired, but red, white and blue wall tires were something else.

Knocking on the other door, Velma opened it to see Scooby and Shaggy sitting on a bed while Fred was at the table with an elderly man in a suit seated. His dark skin perfectly lit by the sunrise coming through the window concealed his identity for just a moment until Velma's eyes adjusted.

"Curly? Is that you Curly Neal?" Asked Velma.

"The one and only. How are you Velma sweetie?" Said the Harlem Globetrotter.

"Curly here came by to see us in town." Said Shaggy.

"Reah reah. Ree-he-he-he." Agreed Scooby-Doo.

"Well not exactly." Said Curly, passing his hand along some of the books and photos on the table which had not been put away last night. Velma had a strangely nervous moment as she looked to Fred, who also seemed to know what was coming.

"So, this isn't a social visit?" Asked Fred.

"Sadly no. It is not." Said Curly, pulling an envelope from his jacket, he set it on the table and took a breath. "You see, I was a friend of Jebedissa's from way back, and about two weeks ago she came into my office and asked me to be the executor of her estate. Which I thought was odd, seeing as how a lot of that stuff is usually managed by lawyers and accountants. But she was insistent, giving me a copy of her will and everything, and even making me agree to represent her interests should matters go to probate court."

"From what we gather, there are a few sides of the family involved." Said Fred, referring to the genealogy research he and Daphne had done.

"You've seen the will?" Asked Velma.

"Actually, I haven't." Said Curly. "I have a sealed copy of it at my offices, and tomorrow most of the family will be there for the first reading. Which brings me to why I came here today." Tapping the envelope on the table, Curly stood up to open the blinds to let in more light.

"Let me guess. We're being bought off." Said Velma.

"Now I'm not your lawyer. I could be, but you couldn't afford me." Curly said with a smile. "But I was asked by Mr. Hanne to give you this payment for your services. It's ten thousand cash, along with an independent contractor form with a non-disclosure clause. With Jebedissa gone, the family wants you out of the picture, I'm sure that much is clear to you."

Shaggy and Scooby nodded as Fred finally took a seat, seemingly a little crestfallen.

"I'll give you some time to think it over, how about I treat you all to breakfast?" Said Curly.

"Sure, I'll go check on Daphne." Said Velma, feeling a bit feverish as she left the room. Upon entering the other door, Velma nearly tripped over something and landed on her bed in a huff. Looking down, she noticed the bone from the other day had been left on the ground. Picking it up she meant to throw it but found herself examining it instead. What she had initially dismissed as some animal or toy bone was a human fossil. The length, circumference, curve, and density all matched the profile of a human rib bone. Her curiosity and nausea fought each other as she set it down on her bed before walking over to check on Daphne.

"Daph, are you okay?" Asked Velma, seeing the redhead had gone back to bed and was shivering under the covers. Resting her hand on Daphne's forehead, she felt her temperature and sticky skin. "You're burning up. This isn't just a cold."

Running back to the other room, Velma bumped into Curly just as he was leaving.

"Curly, we need to get Daphne to a hospital." Said Velma, feeling her own knees buckle as she fell back against the walkway's railing.

"Like is anyone else not feeling well?" Asked Shaggy, struggling to get up from where he was lying, he flopped down on his mattress with a tired groan of pain.

"Raggy?" Scooby-Doo got up and gave Shaggy a confused sniff before turning his head to Fred, then to Velma.

Clearly assessing the situation, Curly got out his phone and quickly dialed for an ambulance as he walked downstairs. Velma looked up to see Fred rush out of the room to go over to see to Daphne, as weak as she felt she couldn't help but smile. Of the five of them, only Fred and Scooby seemed to still be well. What was infuriating were the symptoms, seeming to change from one moment to the next.

Leaning her head against the metal railing, Velma got out her phone and stared at it for minutes as Fred got Scooby to gather luggage while he packed away all of their case materials. Feeling herself being to fade from a pulsing pain in her head, she opened Johnny's contact info and started composing a text.

"Hey, Johnny, me and the Gang are in the area working a case. I hope you have been well, let me know if you want me to cook up a batch of that hair gel you like. I'd like to text more but the ambulance sirens coming to get us. Give your mom a hug for me. Love Velma."

"Love Velma? Why'd I end the text like that? Good Jinkies, can this day get any worse?" Velma sleepily asked herself, letting the phone fall from her hands as she passed out on the floor.


	8. Chapter 8

The delivery trucks never used the old alley behind Bravo Gym anymore. Ever since the grocery store kiddy corner to his place was bought out by a health food chain, most trucks just used the main parking lot when dropping off their food, other times they'd just unpack everything and have an impromptu farmer's market. That was one benefit to living in southern California, the growing season never stopped, and people were still hip to organic food. It had only helped his own business, so Johnny never minded his neighbors, at least before last night when Top Cat moved his gang and operations into the quiet strip of narrow pavement out back.

"Taking in Magilla was charity, but you cats moving in makes me feel I'm running a zoo instead of a Gym." Kicking an empty cardboard box, Johnny frowned in frustration at the sight of the cats hard at work building what looked like an open-air office out of empty garbage cans and discarded pallets.

"If you've got a problem, you're more than free to take it up with Officer Huck." Said Top Cat, supervising his men at work. "He didn't have the facilities to take us in, but we needed to get out of town to save our skins, because your relatives have it out for us remember?"

"And it's my problem to make it up to you?" Asked Johnny, walking over to swat the pink cat away from the top of the stone wall which separated the alley from the day care on the other side.

"Cosmically speaking, you bet it is." Checking his claws, Top Cat picked up a cardboard box and began to slice free human shaped outlines. "If you're born on the street, you owe your dues to the street and you take your living where you find it. If your born to privilege, you either learn to master the discipline required to maintain your lifestyle or you wind up squandering it."

"I never took you for a philosopher, but I still don't see why this means I have to let you live in my alley." Said Johnny.

"One, philosophy comes with the territory, it's all part of the trades. Two, the way I see it Officer Huck is our probation officer, and you're like our caseworker to help keep us out of trouble. Three, we find ourselves drawn into your family drama, and the very same day we run into you and your stand. There are no coincidences Johnny." Top Cat threw down the shapes he had been working on, showing he had cut out silhouettes of Johnny and his stand.

"Yeah about that. What exactly is this?" Asked Johnny, flexing his right bicep he brought out the manifestation he had experienced the other day.

"Unfamiliar with stands, are we? Let me see if I remember how they were explained to me, it's been so long now." Adjusting his waist coat, Top Cat took a step forward, but his shadow stayed in place, only for the shadow to rise upwards in the form of the chrome cat that Johnny had fought yesterday. "What I understand is that they are manifestations of a person's fighting spirit, and that they have powers some people could call supernatural, and that only other people who have stands can see them. Anything outside of that, I don't know what to say."

Looking at his own stand, Johnny overlooked it to try to gain some understanding. The stand stood motionless, only raising a single eyebrow at Johnny's examination.

"Hey Spook, do me a favor and claw Johnny's eyes out." Ordered Top Cat.

"You got it boss." The brown cat adjusted his green tie before jumping at Johnny, claws drawn with full intention to follow Top Cat's order.

Barely able to make a corner turn, Johnny was not fast enough to respond, but his stand was. An open-palmed shove from the stand sent the cat flying across the alley, where its perfect landing sent a ring of dust flying across the ground.

"That'll be all Spook." Said Top Cat, walking over to Johnny, his cane slung over his shoulder. "Johnny, the only other things I know about stands are – they have weird names, and people who possess them are drawn together. So, all my highfaluting talk about destiny and coincidence isn't just me talking nonsense. I took a leap of faith to trust you, that you aren't on the same side as your family members that sent Huck after us. But this isn't my fight, it's yours."

With his stand fully exposed in front of him, Johnny saw the odd coloration in its appearance. The metallic appearance on the surface was colored shades of red and pink, with yellow highlights and hair. It was the hairstyle, sunglasses, and comb in hand which made it feel distinctly like Johnny himself. More than that was the certain confident posture it seemed to have, like a professional bodybuilder at rest. Even as it stood in front of him, Johnny had trouble believing it was there.

Turning his attention back to Top Cat, Johnny thought that all this talk about destiny and fate was nonsense. "I don't have anything to do with my extended family. This isn't my fight either." Johnny was adamant as he took a deep breath, relaxing as his stand disappeared.

"Well one way or another, we're planning on staying here until matters are resolved. Just in case either of us need someone to watch the other's back." Tilting his hat, Top Cat went over to sit down in a chair one of his underlings must have stolen from the day care next door.

"Yeah whatever." Said Johnny, shaking his head before going inside to his office he looked back to ask one final question. "What was that you said about weird names?"

"Far as I know, they're all named after songs." Called Top Cat as Johnny went inside.

Magilla sat on the floor of the office, and what space he didn't take up was littered with banana peels. Nodding along with the music, the gorilla looked almost ridiculous with the too-tight fitting white gym shirt he was wearing and sweat bands around his wrists and ankles.

"Hey boss, welcome back. I'm just taking my break." Said Magilla, who was using the extra sports towels as a makeshift sitting nest.

"No problem." Said Johnny, doing his best to not take a pratfall on the carpet of banana peels.

"Those people at the food store sure are nice, gave me a discount price on all this fruit." Magilla pulled a receipt that was tucked into his shirt and handed it to Johnny.

"Yeah, it's fine to splurge every now and then." Said Johnny, concerned that all Magilla bought was fruit. "But we're going to have to put you on a more balanced diet. You're not getting any essential oils in your diet. I've never done health counseling for a gorilla before but let me read up on it and I'll get you in good shape. Were there any calls while I was outside?"

"No phone calls, but you did get a text message." Reaching over to the power outlet, Magilla grabbed Johnny's cell phone from the charger. "You know someone named 'babycakes'?"

Reaching to grab the phone, Johnny lost sense of where his feet were, slipped and fell to the ground hard. Strangely, instead of hitting the concrete floor, he felt a hand had cushioned where his head would have landed. There was a slight sting, but no pain at all. Carefully reaching to take the phone, Johnny looked down feeling half sick to his stomach in nervous anticipation.

'Calm down Johnny, Velma hasn't texted you in three and a half years. It could just be a butt dial or something.' Despite telling himself it was not going to be a big deal, Johnny couldn't stop his emotions switching from hope to sadness to embarrassment and excitement.

"You okay boss?" Asked Magilla.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a text from my… my ex." Said Johnny, rereading the message for the fourth time. He was unable to figure out which part shocked him more: that Velma was in town, that there was something about an ambulance, that the message was now two hours old, or that she ended with 'love Velma'. Getting his wits back, he knew he shouldn't overstep his bounds despite how his feelings had not changed.

 _It's good to hear from you. If you need anything, let me know. I'm here for you. – Johnny_

Cringing the moment after sending the message, Johnny wondered if he went too far with that last bit.

"Do you know anything about talking to ex-girlfriends Magilla?" Asked Johnny.

"Afraid I don't know much about gorilla or human relationships." Said Magilla. "My longest girlfriend was Koko, I was bought by the San Francisco Zoo as a potential companion for her, but not five minutes went by and I accidentally sat on her cat and that was it for us. Other than that, I had a crush on Jane Goodall, secretly had a poster of her back at the pet shop, she's like the Farrah Fawcett of the ape world."

Blinking twice, Johnny stared at Magilla and regretted asking the ape.

"Say Johnny is this a picture of your class?" Asked Magilla, pulling a photo from the wall.

"Yeah, that's my under eighteen, mixed martial arts class. Though because there are so many red-heads in class, I just call them the Ginger Squad." Said Johnny.

"I swear I recognize this girl." Said Magilla.

"The one next to Suzy? That's Ogee, she just started high school and has a mean side kick. Great student. You know her?"

"Yeah, she was one of my former owners. Her parents wouldn't let her keep a Gorilla though."

"Well, you're bound to run into her if you stay around here. Hope you'll have a nice reunion with her."

"I don't know, I think it'd be awkward."

"Do you want to know the secret to life Magilla?" Asked Johnny, placing his arm on the gorilla's shoulder. "Don't overthink too much, the stress is bad for you, and for the most part things work out in the end."

"Maybe." Magilla said, seeming lost in thought.

Another buzz from Johnny's phone got his attention. It was a call from Mama.

"Yeah Mama? What's up?"

"Johnny, I just got off the phone with Jebedissa's lawyer. He invited me to the will reading tomorrow."

"That's kind of out of the blue. You thinking about going?"

"I'm not sure yet, I really don't want to be around our relatives by myself though. Not after the weird vibes I got the other day."

"Do you want me to go with you for support?"

"Would you dear? I'm not sure if I really want to, but maybe it'd be a good opportunity for us to try and get rid of some of the stupid cold war hanging over our family."

"I'm here for you Mama. Anytime."

"Thanks dear. Is your Gym having that evening Yoga class tonight?"

"Same time and place, as usual."

"I'll see you this evening then dear. Love you sweetie."

"Love you too Mama. Bye now."

Hanging up, Johnny became aware that the door behind him was open, and that not only the cats but the gorilla were staring and snickering at him.

"What? I love my Mama and I don't care who knows. You cats got a problem with that?"

"Not at all." Said Benny, the small blue cat. "Mr. T.C. asked for you to meet him outside."

With a sigh, Johnny followed the cat outside to find that the cats' domicile had gone from being made of old cardboard and scrap wood to be a structure of glass and steel with two cats on the roof installing solar panels.

Letting out a whistle, Johnny said, "You cats work fast."

"You know how it is, the boys don't feel at home without that 'city sprawl' vibe." Said Top Cat, giving the rotating front door a smooth spin.

"Say Top Cat." Johnny started, his mind going back to the text he had gotten from Velma. "You've got connections on the streets right?"

"Sure do. I keep my gang close to me, but I have a piece of all the feline action in LA. Did you need something?" Top Cat had a devious glint to his eye.

"I think a friend of mine is in the hospital, but I'm not sure which one. Think you can do a little reconnaissance for me? She has a blue van that says Mystery Machine, and she travels with a dog and a few other friends of hers." Said Johnny, not wanting to give too many details to the cats.

"Want me to put out the word, see what I can track down? That's easy enough to do." Said Top Cat, spinning his cane in hand. "Come on boys, time to earn our rent."

* * *

Stand Guide:

Mama Told Me Not To Come (1970 song by Three Dog Night) - Stand of Johnny Bravo  
Power - B  
Speed - B  
Range - D/A (Johnny's stand is a close-range stand, but the effects of his stand have no theoretical range limit)  
Durability/Endurance - A  
Precision - B  
Development - A

Johnny's stand appears as a metallic (red, pink, and yellow) humanoid with pompadour and sunglasses much like Johnny's own style. Thus far Johnny knows one of his stand's powers - that by touching others with the comb his stand carries in its left hand, he can cover them in a thin layer of hair cement, which quickly dries and stiffens - freezing his targets in place. There are powers his stand possesses which he has yet to discover.


	9. Chapter 9

Resisting the urge to check his phone, Johnny went through his mental exercise to stay calm and not tap his feet or do anything to embarrass his mother. Not only was he in downtown LA, again, but in an office building which had been rented out for the day. The thought of seeing his extended family and having to listen to his mean Aunt's will was bad enough, but the sculpture in the lobby was some kind of modern art that looked like a pile of spaghetti that was sticking its tongue out at him.

"A magnificent copy don't you think?" Asked a man's voice on the other side of the red, enameled ceramic mess. "It was the talk of Paris when it was released, a vision of the Gordian Knot that displayed scenes from the life of Alexander in the gaps. What do you see from your angle?" Coming around the statue, Johnny got a good look at the man's black and blond-streaked hair, looking very much like a skunk.

"I see a joke." Said Johnny. "It's making a face at me and everyone else who looks at this stupid thing."

"Hmm," tilting his head from side to side, the man gave Johnny a polite tap in order to get the right viewing angle. Though leaner in frame, Johnny felt that this fellow was every bit as strong as he was. "Ah, I see what you mean. Clever. Droll, but clever. Brandon Bravo, I don't believe we have met." Brandon kept both hands behind his back and leaned forward ever so slightly, which made it was clear that this was no normal introduction.

"The name's Bravo, hya! Johnny Bravo." Sliding his comb through his hair, Johnny replied with an atypical greeting of his own.

"The local boy, yes, indeed," Brandon said, walking off without so much as an additional nod.

'Boy? What does he mean by boy, he can't be much older than I am.' Thought Johnny, rejoining his mother as the receptionist finally gave them directions to their room

Taking his mother's arm to escort her, Johnny reminded himself again to not show signs of nervousness, not even so much as adjusting the tie to his monkey suit. Silently he decided not to call suits that around Magilla to avoid confusion.

The doors to the meeting room opened, revealing a rather intimate scene with approximately twenty chairs laid out in front of a large wooden desk. A young blonde man was removing chairs as they entered, clearing space near the desk for a fleet of senior citizens in wheelchairs to be parked, when finished he took a seat in the back of the room next to a man dressed in a kilt.

While his mother seemed to want to take a seat in the far corner, Johnny held her hand and stopped her in the center of the back row.

"Be strong Mama," Johnny whispered.

"You're right Johnny." Bunny stood up with back straight before taking her seat proudly. "I refuse to be the shrinking violet today."

"Speaking of violet." Said Johnny, looking at the last group to enter the room. A tall woman in a dark red dress entered, her curled purple hair bounced with each perfectly measured step as she pushed a wheelchair with an elderly man before her. Walking directly behind her was skunk head and a third man that Johnny did not recognize, but whose expensive suit screamed 'lawyer'.

"That's my cousin Joyce Bravo, she's pushing my Uncle Joshua, and behind her son Brandon. Don't know the other guy though." Said Bunny.

"Yeah, I met Brandon." Said Johnny, getting the feeling of why his mother was always weirded out by their relatives. Joyce parked her father's wheelchair before styling his eyebrows and taking her own seat like a queen seating in a royal court.

Thankfully the silence in the room did not last long, as Curly Neal, Ambassador of the Harlem Globetrotters, entered the room. With a wave of introduction, he sat behind the desk and placed a bundle of papers on the table before him. Breathing deeply, he rubbed his bald head and looked out on the room.

"Thank you all for gathering today. I know many of you have traveled some distance to attend to these delicate family matters. I'll presume you all know me, but if you will indulge me for a moment before we begin I would be grateful." Said Curly.

The door opened, letting in two late arrivals. Entering first was a man whose perfectly, pressed white suit did not seem to fit his rotund body at all. Behind him was a second man wearing a purple suit, though the long scar running vertically through his left eye was the big attention grabber. From the way the first man was rubbing his arm, it looked like the second had dragged and pushed him into the room. The two men found the last free seats and sat quietly, waving for Curly to continue.

"I was a long-time friend of Jebedissa. In life she was passionate, care-free, giving, she never missed a lay-up shot, everyone knew she was a bit of a prankster at times, but she was fiercely loyal to her family." Said Curly, overlooking the crowd and noticing nobody was smiling. "She was also stuck-up, pretentious, and held grudges far longer than she needed to. When she died she left a lot of things undone, but she was wise enough to have prepared a will, so I guess that's one thing I can say about her that will stick."

"She always did say she missed her calling to join the WNBA," Bunny whispered.

"So, with that covered, on to her will." Said Curly. "Item number one are the Bravo Clan holdings in Scotland and Ireland. Those are to remain in trust to the Bravo-MacFarlane family, with all rights and privileges there associated. Ownership will remain with the family head, hereafter to be known as the designated inheritor." Flipping over a few pages, Curly mumbled something about enumeration of Scottish and Irish estates.

"Glad those will stay managed by the family in the old country." Said Bunny.

"Yeah, the relatives back there didn't mind it when I visited." Said Johnny, folding his arms as he looked around the room. Even from the back of their heads, the old folks in wheelchairs seemed grumpy.

"Item number two, the Long Island Estate. A preliminary deal was made with the State of New York to convert the property as a historical landmark or to be sold to developers. Either option or neither if left to the designated inheritor. Similar deals have been made with developers for all the plots of land owned by the family east of the Missouri River. To be enumerated hereafter." Curly flipped through another couple of pages, detailing patches of land across the Midwest United States, thirty acres along the Ohio River, sixty acres of Michigan woodland, twenty acres along the New Jersey coastline.

"I didn't know we owned so much land." Whispered Johnny.

"Our family owns that land." Corrected Bunny. "Jebedissa managed all of it while she was alive, and not a red cent of it went to any of the relatives, least of all us."

"Item number three. All California holdings, including: the north Ventura estate, the art collection, the houses in Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Rancho Santa Fe, and Del Mar. As well as all business interests, stocks, monied accounts, and patents held in trust are also left to the prime inheritor." When Curly finished that sentence, groans began to arise from most of the people in the room. Impatience was starting to set in, seeing as how everything was going to wind up going to whoever this 'prime inheritor' was.

"The Prime Inheritor, hitherto mentioned, I hereby name to be my uncle Joshua Bravo." Curly motioned to the elderly man who held up a cane in triumph, drawing weak complaints from all the other senior citizens in the room. "Additional funds have been gifted to my other relatives will be distributed as follows."

Another ten minutes of reading names and dollar amounts followed, and it was all Johnny could do but hold his mother's hand as they both knew that her name would not be included on that list. There might have been some truth in what Curly said about his aunt, she was generous, but it was clear there was nothing in her heart for her sister. Turning over the last page, Curly tapped the pages back into order and set them neatly down upon the desk. While people in the room were chatting with each other, some looking back at Bunny to snicker with their eyes, Curly loudly cleared his throat before pulling out an envelope and a white box on the table.

"In addition to the Will, Jebedissa entrusted me with the following, which I will now read.

 _To be read following my Will._

 _Over the years I have acquired a few holdings which I have not included with those of my family, as I earned them with my own skill and labor. In my later years, I enjoyed our many trips out to our personal paradise. Thus, I leave all of my private holdings, which account for a controlling interest in the Catalina Island Conservatory, and our pleasure cruiser, The Sea Turtle, to my beloved Vogel._

A tall man sitting in the corner of the room leaned back in his chair and rubbed his knees. His light skin and gray buzzcut had somehow helped him hide in the shadows, which was especially odd as the last time Johnny had looked in that direction, there hadn't been anyone sitting in that corner.

 _The last item I leave to my sister, sometimes I wonder what path our lives could have taken if we had walked together as he had as children. But as I look back on my life I have but two regrets: that you didn't listen to me in matters of love, and that I didn't listen to you in matters of family. To her I leave our treasure, to remind her of our halcyon daydreams._

Wheeling up to the table, Joshua put on spectacles to look over the will before Joyce pointed out the places where he was to sign his name. Vogel walked up to the table to collect an envelope that had been prepared for him.

"Whoo, I thought my sister was more of the cougar type. I never thought she'd fall for a silver fox like that." Said Bunny, fanning herself at the sight of the man.

Walking to the table, Johnny reached to get the box, only for Brandon to be there before him. Lifting the box, the skunk-head hefted it in his hands for a moment before handing it to Johnny with a nod.

"One quick question." Asked Johnny, placing his free hand on Brandon's shoulder. "I'm not too good with all this relative stuff. What are you to me again?"

"I'm your first cousin, once-removed," Brandon said with a haughty guffaw. "But don't ask what you are to me, you might not like the answer."

"I'm pretty sure I already asked that." Said Johnny, not understanding what Brandon meant.

"You really are thick-headed aren't you?" Said Brandon, realizing Johnny did not pick up on the subtle insult.

"It's Mr. Kevin's triple-strength hair cement. You should try some." Said Johnny, recommending his hair gel brand.

"Enjoy your toy." Said Brandon, who walked away to talk with the man in the purple suit, grabbing away a box of facial tissue that the man seemed to have been eating.

'What a bunch of weirdos.' Thought Johnny, handing the box over to his mother.

Seeming hesitant, Bunny closed her eyes to summon the nerve to open the box. "I think I already know what this is." She said, pulling free the white ribbon and opening the top.

Inside lay a metal shape which almost looked like a spinning top, the bright metal finish looked like copper or gold. The spindle had tracks moving along the surface, which seemed to spin each time it was moved even slightly. It was a curious little thing, which Bunny seemed to recognize.

Despite having gotten everything from the Will, Joshua Bravo glared across the room at Bunny as he angrily nodded at his daughter Joyce to wheel him out of the room, grumbling something about not wanting the others in his sight.

For a moment, Johnny felt a lingering presence in the space where Joshua had been sitting. Like a dark figure was sitting in the air, staring at him with glowing narrow eyes, leaving only a soft afterimage as it suddenly vanished.


	10. Chapter 10

If worry and concern had not kept Fred awake all night, the cadent beeping of hospital equipment would have. Having lost track of time, he sat up at the table in the large observation room where Shaggy, Daphne, and Velma were laying in separate beds. The fourth bed in the room was next to Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo was keeping his watchful vigil.

Sprawled out on the small table were various books and a box containing all of the research materials they had gathered so far. Thankfully he had the wherewithal to collect them before the ambulance came, even with how concerned he was with his friend's conditions, he was not about to leave anything unguarded.

'I'm not sure what makes me madder.' Thought Fred. 'The fact that I can't do anything to help them, or the fact that I have no idea what happened.' Rubbing his eyes, Fred looked back down at his research notes and decided the best thing he could do was not lose any time. There was a mystery here, all he had to do was uncover it.

'Velma would be so much better at sifting through all of this.' Picking up the copy of Steel Ball Run Archives: Volume 24 – The Complete Biographies, he thumbed through the pages to look at the entry for Bryce Bravo, the first Bravo to make a name for himself in America, by finishing last in a horse race.

 _Of all the competitors who completed Steel Ball Run, and for all the mysteries surrounding their lives, one of the more curious entries is that of Bryce Bravo, the Scottish immigrant who at 20 years of age entered the race for a shot at glory. Though he never even finished a leg of the race among the top fifty in terms of time, other racers remarked on his sense of fair play, good sportsmanship, and cheerful demeanor._

 _After arriving in Kansas City, Bryce started the fifth stage of the race in decent field position. The next destination would be Chicago Illinois, but Bryce never arrived. Days, weeks, months passed until a year had come and gone from the end of the race before Bryce finally appeared in Chicago seeming as chipper and energetic as always. There was some mild confusion among the townsfolk, as well as officials from Steven Steel Enterprises who had a branch office in the city. Before things were sorted out, Bryce left town and rode his way to Mackinaw City to continue on the next leg of the race._

 _Newspapers across the country picked up word of the racer, lost for a year, returning to finish the race he had started. By the time Bryce reached New Jersey he had been hailed as something of a hero and crowds showed up to cheer him all the way to Trinity Church in Manhattan. And though he finished dead last, his attitude and determination won the hearts of the nation._

 _In interviews after the fact, Bryce was asked on numerous occasions regarding the year-long absence. Though there are conflicting reports about him finding a lover or living in the forest and even taking a job as a courier, the only consistent part to Bryce's story is that he never stopped riding with his beloved horse, Butler._

 _Following his completion of the race, Bryce Bravo went on a media tour, becoming something of a celebrity, having exhibition races and goodwill boxing competitions with others who had taken part of the Steel Ball Run. The publicity helped the business interests of Mr. Steel and Bryce went on to become something of a partner. Going on to become a land scout and prospector, identifying potential mines and oil wells before eventually settling down in Southern California where he went into Citrus farming and Exotic Imports._

"For a race as full of murder and intrigue as Steel Ball Run was, Bryce's story was about as happy an ending as it could get." Fred closed the book and tapped its cover while looking over the rest of the contents atop the table. "Might as well take another look at this family tree, see if there's something there." Pulling out Daphne's phone, he examined the picture she had taken back at the Bravo mansion.

Bryce Bravo (1870-1922) married to Patricia Martible (d. 1931), three children.

Bryce Jr. (1891-92), Brinsley (1892-1944), and Brittney (1899-1951).

Brittney married Peter MacFarlane, moved to Scotland, head of the MacFarlane-Bravo family.

Brinsley married Abby Bennet and fathered two children, Joy (1930-1982) and Joshua (born 1932)

Joy married Mace White and had two daughters, Jebedissa (1966-2018) and Bunny (born 1967)

Joshua (wife not listed) has one daughter, Joyce Bravo (born 1977), and she has one son, Brandon (born 1990).

"Strange, this family tree doesn't include Johnny on it." Fred double-checked to make sure but saw that there was no entry for Johnny. "I guess there really is some bad blood there. Kind of wish I knew how they handle their inheritance though, also seems like the daughters of the Bravo family keep their maiden names after marriage, that's very old country stuff."

Tossing down the pen, Fred got up to pace the room. Research could only distract him for so long. Looking out the window, he saw several cats running through the alley leading up to the car park where the Mystery Machine was parked.

Taking a seat next to Daphne, Fred checked her temperature and held her hand. She was sleeping but her breathing seemed to calm slightly at his touch. Pulling out his phone with his free hand, Fred went through his contacts until he found Daisy, Daphne's sister who was finishing her residency at Gotham General Hospital.

"Freddie? That you?" Daisy answered, sounding a little tired.

"Sorry if I woke you. I know you have crazy hours at the moment." Said Fred.

"No, it's alright. Just watching the lab make up a new batch of Joker anti-toxins, it's all automated but a little boring."

"Did you get a chance to look at the charts I sent you?" Fred asked, having sent pictures of Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy's sheets to Daisy.

"Well, it's not exactly proper procedure, but from what I saw the doctors out there are doing what they can. Strange fever spikes and delirious waking dreams, Shaggy being strangely uncooperative to the point where the nurses were going to strap him down. It's all very abnormal."

"Thankfully Shaggy calmed down when they let Scooby stay in the room, though the head nurse made sure to remind me no less than ten times how abnormal that is for a hospital." Fred peeked his head to check the door to make sure the head nurse wasn't hovering nearby.

"And you're sure there wasn't anything abnormal you guys encountered or were exposed to?" Asked Daisy.

"Other than the Chinese food last night? Not really. Wait…" Fred thought to himself as he looked at the box on the table. Walking over to it he lifted a few books and papers before finding a single bone at the bottom of the box. Picking it up, he remembered Scooby had apparently found it at the Bravo mansion. It was clearly no ordinary bone, all at once it seemed too well preserved and too ancient, too strange and alien but human and familiar.

"You still there Fred?" Asked Daisy.

"Yeah, there is one thing. Do you know anything about getting diseases from fossils or old bones?" Asked Fred, who felt weird as he held the bone in his hand like it was starting to skin into his skin, he went to drop the bone only to feel it was sticking to him before it slowly fell into the box. Feeling a bit freaked out, he took a seat and realized he had missed Daisy's answer.

"…so I don't think there's anything to worry about there. Just make sure you all get some rest and hope that you don't pick up whatever they did." Said Daisy. "Oh, I've got to go, I'm on step five of a sixteen step procedure. You take care of them, Freddie, okay? Bye."

"Yeah." Said Fred, hanging up the phone and looking at his hand. While the bone had felt smooth to the touch, his hand looked like it had a thousand little circular impressions which were slowly fading. Looking again he realized that the white spots on his skin were not fading, but rather coming together, forming one large spot on his palm the size of a baseball. No sooner did he stand up in shock, to discover that the spot had suddenly vanished.

"Rare Rou Rokay Reddie?" Asked Scooby-Doo.

"I think so, just a little light-headed. Think I'll go to the cafeteria." Said Fred, who even as he blinked could see the scene replay itself in his vision, of a thousand little orbs coming together to form one large one.

'Was I just imagining that, or am I hallucinating? I hope I don't get sick like the others. Probably best to keep this to myself for now. I'll probably feel better after eating something.' Fred thought, convincing himself that all would be well despite his gut feeling.

It was always hard to get a feel for hospitals. The fluorescent panels overhead gave off the same electric done and level of light regardless of whether it was day or night, and you could never tell the time by how busy the hallways were either. The security guard by the elevator gave a nod as they passed each other with a quiet understanding that visiting hours were more of a suggestion than a rule.

Thankfully there was no line in the cafeteria, despite it approaching dinnertime. Getting a couple of hamburgers and couple of apples, Fred paid and started his way back to the room only to run into a particularly frustrated nurse in red scrubs.

"You the one here with the kids in room 314 right?" The nurse's gruff voice reeked of a fresh cigarette break.

"That's right." Answered Fred.

"You kids must be popular or something. I've had three different calls at my station from people wanting to know what room you're in the past hour. Honestly, I'm surprised the doctor cleared you to walk around because you potentially have whatever bug they have, but what do I know I only took twelve years of medical school to answer phones and change beds." Clearly, in a foul mood, the nurse frowned and took one of Fred's apples with a swipe of her hand. "Of course, I didn't give out any information, some of the calls sounded rather suspicious, but I haven't slept in twenty hours so that might just be my paranoia talking."

"I appreciate that I guess." Said Fred, holding his tray to the side as he took a step back from the nurse. "Did they leave any names?"

"No, not exactly." Said the nurse, who looked up in confusion. The lights overhead were starting to flicker, and she took a bite of her apple before going to her desk. "Just what we need, having to deal with maintenance. On top of everything else today." Clearly having forgotten Fred, the nurse sat down and started making calls.

"Someone attacked the power station, next comes the backup generator." Said a smooth, confident voice. Looking around, Fred was unable to identify where the voice had come from.

Hurrying to the room, Fred put down the tray and closed the door behind him. As he did, he realized that the once familiar sounds of the machinery and lights were gone. The only light in the room was the dim afternoon sun shining through the window. The hospital had indeed lost power, and all that was left was darkness and the distant sound of gunfire. On the far bed Scooby-Doo got up and growled lowly.

"I think we're in trouble Freddie-boy." The voice called again.

"Who said that?" Asked Fred, unable to find the source of the sound, but instead seeing white spots clouds his vision, only this time as they all condensed together an image of a small man, no bigger than his own hand, wearing a white jumpsuit. Black stripes along its sides, arms, and legs and strangely buckles seemed to hold its body together instead of joints. It was a peculiar glint in its gold eyes as it fully took shape in the air before him.

"I hope you've got a plan in mind Freddie because I'm plum out of ideas." The little man said, giving Fred a light slap across the cheek. "We're on the clock now, let's get to work."


	11. Chapter 11

It had been a long time since Johnny had ever worn a suit this long, the way the cloth rested on his arms made him aware of each time he moved, to ensure he didn't accidentally tear the fabric he kept thinking that he was training with restricted movement gear. Thankfully the blissful smells of the Italian restaurant had a calming effect, both on himself and his mother.

Raggiani's was a small two-star restaurant with a botanical garden where they grew legacy ingredients. Mama swore by this place, but it always seemed like the sort of place that had been someone's vision, and that person was now gone. Thankfully there was no big lunch rush going on, which made sense as it was half-past two.

"Ah yes, the Bravos. Your party is waiting for you." Said the receptionist, making a flourish before smoothing out his red vest and motioning towards the dining room.

"Waiting for us?" Asked Johnny.

"Johnny! Bunny. Glad you could make it." The nasal, slightly shrill voice of Carl Chryniszzswics called out. Arrayed on the table were five wine bottles, and a serving girl was seated on either side of the well-dressed nerd.

"Carl, thanks for getting us reservations on such short notice." Said Bunny, taking a seat and setting her white package on the table.

"Anything for my business partners." Said Carl, gently waving away the two girls, one of whom gave him a pinch on the cheek as she walked to the bar. "I was just having a little wine tasting while waiting for you." Johnny thought Carl was tasting more than the wine but kept that to himself. Carl was running double duty with a law and accounting firm and had deals to buy out a couple of banks as well as one of his competitors. "How did your family meeting go?" Filling up another glass, he swirled and smelled the bouquet.

"Most of them left without a word. To them, the Will was an open and shut deal before they even got to the office. The only surprises were something about Catalina and the box Mama got from Jebedissa." Said Johnny, as Bunny opened the box to reveal the strange object.

"May I?" Asked Carl, taking the bronze spindle from Bunny, he pulled a jeweler's loupe from his pocket to inspect the details and the crystal at the center.

"You keep one of those in your pocket?" Asked Bunny.

"I'm descended from, and half of my business partners are, Ukrainian Jews. I was practically born with one of these on my face." Said Carl, turning the dial in his hand as he examined the artifact. "The jewel in the center is odd, from some angles it's opaque and others it is clear. Very strange. That's quite the heirloom you've got there." Handing it back to Bunny, Carl picked up his briefcase and pulled out a folder as the waiter came with lunch. "Sorry if it's presumptuous of me, but I ordered lunch for the two of you."

A plate of butternut ravioli with alfredo sauce was set before Bunny and an antipasto pizza was put on an elevated tray before Johnny as Carl slid his envelope across the table.

"Ooh, this does look good." Said Bunny, "Thanks, sweetie."

"What's that?" Asked Johnny, nodding at the package.

"Just some forms I need you to authorize. Business has started to pick up with the Gym, and I need your permission to make a few essential investments." Said Carl, taking a drink.

"Essential?" Asked Johnny.

"You've done some good work building a brand name Johnny, all those celebrity workouts you've been posting online has generated a lot of buzz. I think we have an opportunity for expansion. But it's a bit of a risk, going to use up the rest of your savings." Said Carl.

Chewing on a katamala olive, Johnny, pulled out the forms and signed without hesitation before handing them back to Carl. As it was done, he paused before reaching for another slice.

"I won't betray your trust Johnny. We've got a lot of work ahead of us partner." Carl said like a weight had come off his shoulders.

Johnny couldn't bring himself to say that it wasn't a matter of trust. He had been so distracted this past week he could have signed back up for the Foreign Legion and not blinked twice.

"Yeah, Carl." Said Johnny, feeling his pocket rumble from a text. Reaching down to check it, he found an odd message.

 _I need to talk to you about your dead Aunt's boyfriend "Vogel". Will be in touch – J.B._

"Strange." Said Johnny, who just as he was about to set his phone it rang with a call, the number in the system was Top Cat. "Excuse me, I have to take this call."

"Johnny, where are you?" Said Top Cat, sounding very concerned, even a little scared.

"Downtown LA, this restaurant called Raggiani's." Answered Johnny. "Did you find my friends? Is something wrong?" Asked Johnny.

"We found the van, it's at Ruby Memorial Hospital. We haven't been able to get inside, so we don't know where they are, but we learned their observation rooms are on the third floor. Thing is, we're not the only ones scoping this place out. A weird guy in a purple suit and top hat showed up about ten minutes ago and I've got a really bad vibe about him, and it's more than my just my usual distrust of people in top hats talking here."

"I'm on my way there." Said Johnny, remembering the scarred man in the purple suit at the Will reading. "Carl, can you give Mama a ride home?"

"Sure Johnny, something wrong? You barely touched your pizza." Said Carl.

Giving his mother a kiss on her cheek, Johnny turned back before leaving. "You really do look good in that dress Mama. Love you." Dismissing a bad feeling, Johnny clutched the keys and make his way out to the car, following the GPS to the Hospital.

As he drove past the front doors, the shattered glass and people groaning in pain on the ground was all the warning he needed. Parking on the curve, Johnny stepped out of his mother's Pink Cadillac and tightened his stomach muscles to prepare himself for anything.

"Glad I didn't eat too much pizza." Said Johnny, as he walked into the hospital. The dark interior was like something out of a horror movie, bodies of orderlies and security guards lined the hallway as a few brave nurses ran about to stabilize the seriously wounded. The sounds of sirens in the distance meant that police had likely been notified after the attack, but it would take them a few minutes to secure the building after their arrival and from the look of things that was time nobody had.

Finding the stairway, Johnny ran up to the third floor, pausing at the door just long enough to hear sounds of a struggle ending on the other side. Opening the door, Johnny ran to his side, hearing gunshots ricocheting off the wall behind him as he dove behind a wall.

"Johnny. Watch out for that guy." A low voice groaned from the nearby ground.

"Top Cat?' Looking down Johnny saw the gang of cats sprawled out on the floor.

"They're in room 314, Johnny. But that guy, we jumped him as he was reloading, but it's too dark in here for me to use Puttin' on the Ritz. He's strong. Get him for us." Said Top Cat, leaning against the wall as he struggled to stand up.

"Are you saying one guy did all of this?" Asked Johnny, surprised at the extent of the damage and injured people. Clenching his fists, Johnny stood upright and dashed across the hallway, dodging gunshots.

"Oh, for crying out loud, it's hard to see what I'm shooting in the dark. Maybe I should have thought through my plan to turn off the power." Said the attacker, as the sound of bullet casings fell to the floor.

'That's my chance.' Thought Johnny, charging the man as he was reloading his gun. With a jumping roundhouse, he closed the distance and made contact but only managed to knock the man's top hat from his head as he had ducked. Pivoting on his landing, Johnny used the momentum of his turn to bring a big right down on the man's head. In a split second, he felt his hand make contact and seem to slide away from the man and into the floor beside him. The only result was a broken floor tile and a sore hand.

"Quite the punch you've got." Said the man, who looked like he was wearing a light blue helmet and shoulder pads. As he stood, the armor seemed to peel off his body and hover directly behind him.

'Is that a Stand?' Thought Johnny, judging his distance from the man and the attacks he would be likely to perform.

"Wait a minute. I recognize you. You were at that Will reading." Said the man in purple.

"Yeah, I saw you as well, strong-arming that other fella. And now you're here shooting up a hospital." Inching closer, Johnny readied himself.

Despite the situation, the man in purple seemed extremely confident with himself, but that started to break as the sounds of police sirens were finally arriving outside. In an instant, his self-assurance became a nervous look in his single eye, like he knew he was running out of time, and that single moment of distraction was all Johnny needed.

"Mama Told Me Not To Come." Shouted Johnny, summoning his Stand. "Hya-ya-ya-ya-ya." A barrage of fists pummeled the man to the ground, but the moment his knees touched the floor, the blue stand wrapped around the man, causing each punch from his Stand to fly wild and never make contact.

"Here to play the hero, are you? Bet you think you'd come to the rescue and save the day with that stand of yours. Life isn't that easy kid. You can't even land a single hit with that stand of yours. Let me introduce you to mine, Twentieth Century Boy." Glowing with a bright blue aura, he stood up and took advantage of Johnny's slightly dazed state to reload his six-shooter.

"I don't think so." Getting his footing back, Johnny tackled the man into the nearby room and began punching him while on the ground. Thinking his fist could be faster than the man's stand he felt himself contact the cheekbone, only to feel all friction vanish as he slid to the other side of the room, crashing into the wall between two unoccupied hospital beds.

"Glad to know that fools didn't get any smarter over the last hundred years." Finishing his reload, the man moaned in ecstasy as he touched his scar before focusing his gaze on Johnny and firing.

If anything, it felt like a pinch. Reaching down to his abdomen, Johnny looked to see his hand covered in blood. What was strange was how it didn't hurt. Not the first one, or the other five bullets unloaded into his chest. Unable to even raise his head, it was less like he was falling forward, rather it was more like the floor came up to hit him in the face. The first pain was the strain of his muscles to draw breath into his lungs, the sharpness of his cough as his lungs fought to expel the blood filling them.

The spent shell casings of the revolver hit the ground by the man's black shoes. He was already making his way to the door while reloading, not even giving Johnny a second thought as he walked next door with murder on his mind.

Reaching out with a hand covered in blood, Johnny crawled his way to the door.

'There's still a chance. I can't let it end like this, I won't.' He thought as the slow, deliberate sound of five gunshots rang out in the next room.


	12. Chapter 12

"I think that's about as good as we can expect." Said Fred, peeking out the door as he looked out on the dark hallway. Tossing down the empty bottle of hospital lubrication, he double checked the lines of cord that he had pulled from a spare hospital curtain.

"Not bad considering you only had a minute or two to throw it together." Said the strange, floating creature. "Pretty lucky the room across the hall was empty though. Wait a minute, it's not empty look at that! What is that?" Barely able to hold in a giggle, the creature floated over to an empty, portable urinal and doubled over in laughter.

'Am I going crazy or is this actually happening?' Thought Fred, trying to steady his breathing as the sounds of struggle got closer. It almost sounded like a cat fight was taking place in the halls, but there was no way that was possible.

While he had gotten confident in his skills, designing, fabricating, and executing traps part of him was unsure this time. If there was more than one attacker it might not work, and the trap might not fully incapacitate whoever was shooting up the hospital. He had fought men, monsters, and the supernatural before, but somehow this felt more real than all of those had.

No sooner did the noises from the cats die down than a muffled conversation began. As much as he wanted to open the door wider to hear clearly, Fred kept the door barely ajar to conceal his presence.

"Mama Told Me Not To Come." A familiar voice shouted from the hallway, followed by the sound of a struggle and a crash across the hallway.

Opening the door to check, Fred saw two men tumble to the ground next door to where Daphne and the others were sleeping. As the men stood up, the silhouette of a familiar pompadour was lit up by the window on the far wall.

"Is that Johnny?" Fred whispered.

The other man, wearing a top hat, fired six shots before exiting the room and reloading his revolver as casually and thoughtlessly as someone might check their phone while walking.

Covering his mouth to keep from shouting, Fred fought every instinct to go out and fight. He had to follow through with his plan and try to help Johnny afterward. As the attacker stood in front of room 314, it was clear how much was riding on how the next moment played out. It was like a strange showdown in the old west, only the beads of sweat going down the sides of Fred's face were the timer to high noon, and all he was armed with was some string and gravity.

The sound of a door being kicked in was all the signal he needed. Opening the door wide, Fred pulled the counterbalance to the weight which kept the spare hospital bed from falling out of the open window. Every string tied to the bed rushed as it was pulled, each string connected to the curtain currently beneath the attacker's feet, and the curtain was sitting on a layer of lubricant.

Immediately caught off guard but the sudden sensation of movement, the attacker's gun fell from his hand as the underfoot curtain slid across the hallway. Hoping the timing was just right, Fred gave the man a hard punch right as he entered the room. The curtain continued to follow the bed out the window, leaving a slippery trail in its wake.

"Scooby, get the gun." Shouted Fred, as his animal companion emerged from hiding and carefully struggled with the slippery tiles to get the weapon.

Reaching down, Fred grabbed the man by the lapels of his jacket and pulled him to his feet.

"I don't know who you are, but you've got a lot of nerve coming here, shooting the place up." Said Fred

"Magenta Magenta. Secret Service Agent 808 retired." Said the man in purple, following his introduction with a hard right to Fred's ribs. "And you kids should have left town when you had the chance."

Getting his wind back, Fred threw a punch to the man's scarred face, but he blocked and threw a hard jab at Fred's nose, causing it to bleed immediately.

"Reach ror ra rye." Growled Scooby, holding the gun threateningly.

"Cats, dogs, and kids. It's like old times with Valentine again." Kicking off the doorjamb, Magenta jumped to where Scooby was standing and knocked the dog to the ground, getting his gun back as Scooby slid down the hall.

"Call me out Freddie. It's your only chance now." A voice whispered in Fred's ear. What was the thing he was seeing, an illusion, a hallucination, a ghost? What good could the little wisp be against the dangerous gunman? Could it even do anything to affect the outcome of this fight? All at once, the words came to Fred, like an old song he suddenly remembered all the lyrics to.

"Suspicious Minds," Fred said, wiping the blood from his nose before folding his arms in front of his chest and tilting them down and to the left. Somehow the strange stance seemed only natural.

"I'm on him, Freddie." The small white man hovered around Fred's head before turning into a ball of white and flying directly in front of Magenta's eyes.

Swatting at this face with his free hand, Magenta stumbled slightly for a moment, which was enough to cause him to slip and fall on the lubricant.

"Another Stand user? No wonder they wanted you dead." Pointing his gun in Fred's direction, Magenta fired off a shot which went wide into the ceiling. "Hard enough to see with only one eye, let alone with whatever your Stand is doing."

"Give up, the police are going to be here soon." Fred started, knowing that he had no idea what was happening, he figured it would be best to bluff.

"No, I'll just have to knock your Stand away." Said Magenta, kneeling as blue armor encompasses his head and shoulders, with spirals of light wrapped around his arms and legs.

"Whoa, that's it for me, Freddie." Said Suspicious Minds, as the enemy Stand's power knocked him away into the air it disappeared into a cloud of light.

"Run Redd." Barked Scooby, as he lunged forward to bit Magenta.

"Pointless. My Stand can redirect any force away from me." Said Magenta, whose eyes widened in shock as Scooby's teeth bit into his right calves.

Spikes materialized all around Scooby's collar, but two spikes were attached to tubes which led into Scooby's mouth, which started glowing with the same color as Magenta's Stand. Moving his arm, Magenta pointed his gun directly at Scooby and fired twice, but Scooby's fur took on a soft blue tint, and the bullets bounced off and fell powerless to the floor.

Seeing an opportunity, Fred pushed himself away from the doorframe where he was standing and used the momentum to bring a kick to Magenta's head. Sure enough, there was some force in the air that seemed to push against him, but it was weakening, and a follow-up series of punches finally broke through. Magenta's Stand faltered, and he landed on his back with the sound of wet laundry.

"Scooby, check on Johnny, I'm going to finish this." Said Fred, walking into room 314.

Scrambling to his feet, Magenta shook his head to regain his senses. Seeing that his time was up, and his task failed, he had a desperate look in his eyes. Perhaps looking around to find a weapon, reaching to the table, he picked up the bone with a look of shock in his eyes.

"That explains it then." Said Magenta. "No wonder they sent me to kill you four." Quickly putting the bone into his jacket. Magenta saw Fred carefully walking towards him and weighed his options and didn't like any of them.

"Who sent you? And why did they want the bone?" Asked Fred, sensing that Magenta was about to do something desperate.

"Another time my boy, do take care of my revolver for me, it's vintage." Said Magenta. Kicking against Shaggy's bed, he sprung to the window to open it. Before Fred could cross the slippery floor, Magenta was plummeting face first to the ground three stories down. But with a flash of blue light, Fred saw Magenta hit the pavement and stand up unharmed as he ran away, just out of sight from an incoming swat team.

"He got away did he?" Asked Johnny.

"Yeah. Wait, Johnny." Fred turned his head to the side, seeing Johnny standing weakly in the hallway. Shirt soaked in blood and with six holes, Johnny knelt down weakly with a hand on Scooby's back.

"Good dog." Said Johnny, whose breathing seemed to be growing stronger.

"I'll go find a nurse," Said Fred, looking around while trying to remember where the last one he saw had run to.

"I don't think there is a need for that." Said Johnny. Tugging on the hem of his black shirt, six deformed slugs fell to the ground.

"You weren't wearing a bullet-proof vest, were you?" Asked Fred.

"No," Said Johnny, "truth be told I'm just about as clueless as you are."

"Hey, boss." A cat in a vest and hat called from around a corner. "Police are coming up the stairs now, we're going to split. You going to be okay?"

"Yeah, see you around T.C." Said Johnny, waving at the yellow cat.

"What's happening Johnny?" Asked Fred, his patience running out. "We get called out here by your aunt right before she dies, we investigate your family, we all mysteriously get sick at the same time, you show up at a hospital just as it's being attacked by a lone gunman, and somehow you survive six bullets to the chest? Did I miss a detail in there, or does none of this register in that thick head of yours?"

"Whoa now," said Johnny, adjusting his sunglasses in the darkness, "I'm going to let that last one slide because I get you're under some stress now. I could tell you what I know, but that depends on what you intend on telling the police."

"Why does it matter what I tell the police?" Asked Fred.

"I'm not sure. Do you think it'd be easier, or harder to find out the truth about my family with the police hovering around them?" Johnny did not seem sure himself, but Fred knew the point he was getting at. Apparently, Johnny thought that confronting his relatives was going to be up to him, and that the police would not only prevent him from finding the truth but would only wind up protecting his family's secrets.

"And what if the gang and I want nothing to do with this?" Fred felt his stomach knot as he said that, but Johnny raised an eyebrow at the same moment as the stairway door opened behind him.

"Then you're not the same bunch I met all those years ago." Said Johnny, raising his hands as swat officers came in to secure the hallway.

'Guess Johnny knows me better than I know him.' Thought Fred as the officers led him, Johnny, and Scooby into the empty room as they did a clean sweep of the floor.

"One quick question Fred. How come you have a Stand named after an Elvis song? That hardly seems right." Asked Johnny as the officer watching them stepped out into the hall.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Said Fred. In the air above them, a white cloud of light condensed until the small white figure was once again restored, seemingly quite amused with a cobweb in the far corner of the ceiling.

* * *

References:

Magenta Magenta - Antagonist from JoJo's Bizarre Adventures Part 7: Steel Ball Run

Stand Guide:

Suspicious Minds (1969 song by Elvis Presley) - Stand of Fred Jones

Power - D

Speed - A

Range - B

Durability/Endurance - C

Precision - A (Intangibility)

Development - C

Suspicious Minds is a medium/long-range, semi-sentient Stand. Very casual with Fred, will always call him "Freddie", Suspicious minds appears as a white humanoid with black lines going around its side, it's elbow and knee joints appear to be held together like belt buckles. Suspicious Minds will mostly act on its own, finding curiosities which amuse it but are mostly useless trash.

In combat, Suspicious Minds becomes intangible, even to enemy stands, and flies into the face of an enemy. It will then create a "blind spot" in the enemy's sight, meaning they will only be able to see out of their peripheral vision. If Suspicious Minds is somehow defeated or is ordered to stop, it will become a "cloud" for a few minutes until it is able to reform.


	13. Chapter 13

The hospital staff room had been taken over by police as the hub for their forensics teams and security detail. Things were starting to quiet down with staff coming in from a sister hospital to assist with the wounded nurses and doctors. Were Johnny in another mindset, the scene would seem exciting, like something out of those Hong Kong action movies he loved, but the reality of his surroundings sobered his imagination.

Sitting across from the table was Lieutenant Spears, the broad-chest officer in charge of the forensics team whose legal pad was full of notes before even arriving to start questioning. Tapping his pencil twice, Spears stood up and walked over to grab a cup of coffee from the employee's kitchen area.

"Either of you two needs something? After a stressful experience, it's usually recommended to get some sugar in your system to help take the edge off." Officer Spears asked.

"No thanks." Said Fred, leaning forward and resting his head in his hands.

"Nah, I better not. That stuff makes me a little jittery." Said Johnny.

"Suit yourselves." Shrugging his shoulders, Spears sat back down and blew on his beverage before setting it next to his notepad. Turning his head to Fred, he curled the corners of his mouth as he talked. "So, from what we understand, it's pretty simple. Fred Jones age 24 resident of Coolsville Ohio, were staying here with your friends, you heard the attacker downstairs, you set up an elaborate trap, and after a brief struggle, the gunman jumped out the window. Is that about right?"

"Yes, Officer." Said Fred, keeping his composure to stay quiet. How Johnny had ever convinced him to not cooperate with the police, he still wasn't sure.

"And you, Johnny Bravo age 24 resident of Aron City, show up after getting a text from one of the girls upstairs, you find the hospital is under attack, you engage the gunman without knowing the situation, and in the struggle, he bursts open a bag of donated blood, which is why the room upstairs, and your clothes, are covered in blood. Are you telling me that's what happened?" Officer Spears had a great poker face because Fred was not sure if he was patronizing them or not with these questions.

"That's the long and the short of it." Said Johnny. The expression on his face might have been called cold or stony on another man, but on him, it came off looking a little dumb and naïve.

Lieutenant Spears wrote a few additional notes before closing the pad and finishing his coffee, pausing a moment to let the steam from the cup fade from his glasses, he nodded.

"A few final questions. Do either of you know the attacker, or did he identify himself? And do you know if anything was taken from your possessions upstairs?" Officer Spears seemed particularly interested in who would answer which question.

"When I confronted him, no he did not identify himself." Said Johnny.

"And I have not had the time to do a full inventory upstairs." Said Fred. "I understand that our possessions and research materials might technically be counted as evidence now, but I wonder if we could come to an understanding about letting us keep our journals at least."

"My team upstairs will be finished processing most of that by now, I'll let you know by the time you and your friends are cleared to leave the hospital about our decision." Officer Spears stood up from the table and extended his hand, shaking both of theirs in turn. "It may be a bit early in the process, but from what I understand you both were able to keep your heads cool in this situation, and you have my respect. I'll go see if you can go back upstairs now."

"I'm glad I told Scooby to stay put upstairs. Hopefully, there's no funny business with the investigators. I'm usually not so suspicious about dealing with police, but you put a bug in my ear, Johnny." Said Fred.

"Oh, I know what you're talking about. You're good-natured, trusting, you believe in the goodness of others. Like how you don't think that a group of people you just met will side with your weird aunt and leave you tied to a tree in the middle of nowhere." Said Johnny.

"Guess you're still a little sore about that." Said Fred.

"Not really, but I think I have the right to tease you about it a few more times." Said Johnny, giving Fred a light nudge.

"Fair enough." Said Fred, chuckling back.

A wave from a member of the hospital staff caught their attention as they were escorted back upstairs, as the elevators were still down from the power outage. Yellow tape marked the hallway where Johnny, Fred, and Scooby had fought Magenta, with several agents still being careful where they stepped to avoid contaminating evidence and stepping on the still wet floor. Peeking into the room, Scooby-Doo gave Fred a slight salute as he nodded towards the research table.

"I just finished checking on your friend's conditions. Their fevers are coming down and they were unharmed from the attacks." A petite, Hispanic nurse said as she dodged a forensics agent.

"Hey Johnny, let's let them rest. We'll talk in the empty room next door." Said Fred, leading the way. With the two of them finally alone, Fred took a seat and steadied his breathing.

"That was pretty heavy, you okay?" Asked Johnny.

"I've been through a lot, this isn't the first time my friends and I have been in danger. But it never gets easier to deal with it." Said Fred, letting out a long exhale.

"Well, you did better than I did anyway." Said Johnny, poking his fingers through a bullet hole in his t-shirt.

"About that. How are you still alive?" Asked Fred.

"Probably something to do with my Stand. I remember being shot and crawling across the floor to the doorway. As soon as I reached it, I heard a massive crack and I felt my entire body itch as the bullets were pushed out of my chest." Said Johnny, checking the hallway to see if anyone was watching, he lifted his shirt showing that he didn't have so much as a bruise from the gunshots.

"That Magenta guy kept talking about his 'Stand'. What are they?" Asked Fred as Suspicious Minds appeared underneath the hospital bed on the other side of the room, giggling to itself at the discovery of a stray hairpin it found on the ground.

"For all I know they're some sort of 'punch ghosts' or something, that's how it was explained to me. How we get them or where they come from, that's not something I know." Said Johnny.

"Is that all you know?" Asked Fred.

"Only people who have Stands can see them. Otherwise, they are invisible, and from what I understand they are unique to people who have them, and they're all named after songs for some reason." Said Johnny, flexing his arm seemed to summon his own Stand, a gaudy reflection of himself in pink, red, and yellow.

"Do you know how people get them? I've seen aliens, ghosts, vampires, witches, and super villains but this is new to me." Said Fred, unsure if he believed what Johnny was saying.

"Look, man, what do you want me to say? I've only been seeing these things for a few days myself. If I had to guess, I think it's some weird mojo having to do with my family. Which is another reason I don't want the cops involved because I get the feeling that these things can be wildly dangerous." Said Johnny.

"For now, let's say we're on the same page. But when the rest of the gang gets better, I'm telling them everything that's happened and if they want to cut and run we're gone." Said Fred, hoping that he came off as firm instead of uncaring.

"I wouldn't hold it against you. You look, tired man, get some rest and I'll keep watch okay?" Said Johnny.

Realizing that he hadn't slept last night and how fatigued he was from the fight, Fred nodded and loosened his ascot as he got on the spare hospital bed and closed his eyes, half-hoping that all this was just a bad dream.

* * *

The four-digit code to the back door was changed on a weekly basis. After two chances, Magenta finally remembered what it was as he punched in the keys before throwing open the back door to the corporate offices. The dim hallway was lined with boxes of things he could only guess at, twisted before he reached the service elevator that would take him up to the upper offices where Joyce would be waiting for him. Tracing his fingers along the scar that covered his face where his left eye was, he grit his teeth and punched the metal wall of the elevator in frustration.

Reaching the top floor, he walked straight across the hall and pushed on the fake wall which opened as a door directly into the private offices of the head of the Bravo family business. Sitting at her desk, Joyce seemed more like a high-end fashion model than a dangerous and calculating business-type, though perhaps it was naïve of him to think that a beautiful model could not be as dangerous as the president of a company. Despite being forty-one, she could easily pass for a woman in her twenties.

"News reports are coming in on all the channels. A brazen attack on a hospital, five dead, twenty-six injured, and twelve in critical condition because of the power outage. No picture of the suspect, and due to the power outage, no accurate sketches have been drawn from witnesses on the scene either. You seemed to have managed a clean escape, well mostly clean." Joyce Bravo's kept her head as level and even as her breathy tone of voice, but her eyes looked disapprovingly at the bite wound on Magenta's lower leg.

"I've got good news and bad news." Magenta said as he tapped a panel on the wall which opened into Joyce's private bar. A splash of whiskey on a towel he filled with ice was perfect to help soothe the wound the dog had inflicted on him.

Pushing herself out from her desk, Joyce stood upright and reached for the remote on her desk, turning off the televisions along the far wall, she walked to a table behind her and opened an antique tray which held dried fruits and nuts. Taking a handful of kola nuts, he popped them in her mouth and seemed to savor the bitter flavor.

"Always start with the bad news." Said Joyce, as she turned around and leaned back. In any other woman, Magenta would think how alluring the curve of her spine was, but he knew enough about Joyce and her family to stay on his guard around her, moreover, the debt he owed them made him more of a servant than a free man.

"I didn't get my targets. Would have been easy, but I ran across four other Stand users, including a cat and a dog. From what I gathered from a glance, it's clear that those kids are investigating your family." Magenta said as he sat down to rip open the hem of his pants to expose his leg.

"You moved to fast sending in Curly Neal mother. That peace offering will only wind up making them suspicious after this failed attack on the hospital." Appearing out of nowhere, Brandon Bravo stepped into the room and combed his skunk-striped hair back into a pompadour.

"Didn't I tell you not to style your hair like that?" Asked Joyce.

"That you did mother, but after seeing cousin Johnny wear his hair like this, I think I've taken a liking to it." Said Brandon.

"Your cousin? The blonde-haired man with sunglasses?" Asked Magenta.

"Yes. Of the lesser Bravos." Said Joyce.

"He was there, I put six bullets into him." Said Magenta.

"Oh, that is good news then." Said Joyce, reaching over her shoulder to grab her bowl of dried fruit.

"No, that wasn't my good news. This was." Setting down the bag of ice, Magenta reached into his jacket pocket as he walked to the desk where he set down the bone he had found in the box at the hospital.

"Mother is that what I think it is?" Asked Brandon.

Carefully selecting a dried apricot, Joyce put the bronzed piece of fruit in her mouth to savor its complex sweetness. Licking her fingers, she smiled as she walked to the desk to run her fingers along the petrified human rib.

"Brandon dear. Why don't you get Mister Shankar and bring him up to the office and let him know that we're in business." Said Joyce, smiling as she effortlessly sat on the desk, she winked at Magenta as an electric blue aura encompassed her body, causing a face to appear over her left shoulder which let made an unnatural sound which only a madman would think was a laugh as it slowly spun clockwise.

* * *

References:

Officer Spears - Ken Spears (the other co-creator of Scooby-Doo)

Stand Guide:

20th Century Boy (1973 song by T. Rex) - Stand of Magenta Magenta

Power - N/A  
Speed - C  
Range - N/A  
Durability/Endurance - A  
Precision - D  
Development - C

Magenta Magenta's stand Appears as a purple and light blue set of armor around his head and shoulders, with thin blue hands which stretch around his body, protecting it from all damage. It is less that 20th Century Boy "protects" and more that it "deflects", but redirecting incoming forces into the ground and air. The drawback is that to use this power, Magenta Magenta must take on a kneeling posture, or otherwise remain motionless. However, the advantage is that this protection is absolute, to the extent that neither dynamite, nor drowning, nor even the passage of time (apparently) has an effect on Magenta while his Stand is active. In the course of Steel Ball Run, Magenta Magenta fell into a river and was presumed dead or missing, yet somehow he survived and feels indebted to the Bravo family.


	14. Chapter 14

There was something wrong about the road upon which Velma was walking. Though everything seemed normal at first, the buildings and houses started to lose their color and further down others did not have windows or doors or were just flat surfaces which were little more than the outline or impression of homes. Carefully grown lawns became empty lots of dust, until even the dust blowing in the wind seemed to stand motionless in the air.

Everything seemed real, but before long it was clear that this was a dream. The inconsistencies in the facts of the world around her were starting to add up, which meant that her rational and detail-oriented mind was trying to apply logic to what she was seeing. Soon her subconscious would be unable to keep up with her cogent mind and she would open her eyes and be awake once again. It was something she had experienced many times, she would hit her limit for weirdness and the dream would end.

As the road continued, the only things which remained around her were the outlines and impressions of the city streets she had been walking past. Even the cracks of the sidewalk beneath her feet faded into a surrounding darkness until there was nothing around her at all. But she could still feel something hard beneath her feet, and so she walked on.

Before her lay a clear surface on the ground, like a lake but getting closer she realized it was not water at all but glass. If this were a lucid dream, she might have had a choice, but her momentum carried her onward to walk out into the very center, where she realized she was in the center of a large circle, which was rimmed by black metal with a walkway which lead back the way she had came.

"Really? A giant magnifying lens? This dream isn't exactly being subtle." Said Velma, tapping her foot on the glass beneath her. It was the sound of the glass tapping back which made the hairs on the back of her neck raise in panic.

Looking down, Velma tilted her head and saw a figure standing upside down on the bottom of the glass. Was it a reflection of some sort, or was it really standing beneath her? Motioning with her arm, it copied her movements perfectly. The world shimmered, and with it she felt her vision shift and move, and she realized she was now in her own reflection, looking up at herself. Only her arms were not flesh but seemed transparent as glass. A profound feeling of disorientation and dizziness overtook her as she felt herself falling away from the glass, and above her she saw the magnifying lens shatter sending thousands of shards falling all around her, along with her twin, which extended its arm down to grab her. Reaching up, she struggled to take its hand as she woke up.

There is nothing so disorienting as waking up in a hospital room, the pressure of a needle in your and, the firm bed, the bright room, a large man sleeping in a chair, the unfamiliar surroundings… as alert as she was, Velma took a moment as she squinted at the sight of the man sleeping in a chair beside her bed. Unable to make out all of his details against the light coming in from the window, she saw that he was wearing what looked like a sports jacket over his bare chest as his head rested against the wall.

Feeling around, she found her bed's remote and guessed correctly which button made it sit upright. The sound and movement immediately caught the attention of Fred and Daphne, who turned their attention her way.

"Velma, you're awake. How are you feeling?" Asked Fred.

Breathing in to answer, Velma felt her throat was parched. The needle in her arm from her IV was giving her body the fluids she needed, but it did little for her dry mouth. Seeing her dilemma, Fred found a pitcher and poured her a cup.

"Oh, while I'm at it. You might want these too." Said Fred, handing Velma her glasses.

After a long and slow drink, Velma felt her forehead to check her own temperature to see if she felt normal before putting on her glasses.

"How long were we out Fred?" Asked Velma, feeling her eyes adjust to her prescription lenses.

"Counting today? Three. Yesterday was rather eventful, but we'll talk about that later." Said Fred.

"Did the doctors find out anything in particular? Any ideas about what caused us to all take ill at the same time?" Asked Velma as she looked around the room.

"Not exactly." Said Fred.

Finally able to take full stock of her surroundings, Velma scanned the room. Daphne was sitting upright, and somehow her hospital gown seemed like it was made of a different fabric as though it were made by some high-end designer. On the other side of the large room were two empty beds, most likely where Shaggy and Fred had stayed. Then there was a table with books and papers scattered atop it, and finally she saw the man next to her bed come into focus.

"What's Johnny doing here?" Asked Velma.

"He told me you sent him a text." Said Fred, to his side Daphne's face lit up with a wide smile.

"I did? I don't recall." Said Velma. To her side, Johnny's head slipped on his pillow, causing him to let out a slight snore just as a nurse walked into the room.

"Good, you're all awake now. We kept track of your conditions. Each of your fevers broke during the night, though your friend with the dog was the first one to wake up." Said the Nurse.

"Shaggy wanted to help out in the kitchens, but because the doctors weren't certain about contamination, so that was struck down. That hasn't stopped him and Scooby from taking over one of the dining halls to have a jello eating competition." Said Fred.

After checking Velma's temperature, pulse, and pupils, the Nurse unhooked the IV before going out to fetch a doctor. Unable to sit up on her own, Velma raised her bed until she was fully upright, hoping to get her body used to the idea that it was time to get to work. Still feeling groggy, she slowly clenched and opened her fists to wake her muscles and circulate her blood.

"Were you able to do any research while we were out?" Velma looked at Fred, but his hesitant nod said that things were complicated.

"I wanted to wait until everyone was awake before talking about this." Said Fred.

"Talk about what?" Asked Shaggy, as he and Scooby-Doo came walking in, each looking like they had done their best to make up for lost time and lost meals.

"I know it's not like us to back out of a case. Even, and maybe especially, when things get dangerous. While you were unconscious, the hospital was attacked, and we were the targets. If it were just me, I'd want to get to the bottom of this. But I didn't want to speak for the rest of you, so now that you're awake I want to know what each of you think." Fred took a seat and looked over everyone's faces.

"Heh, like I posted on social media about taking over the hospital dining room. We've already got five thousand views. Scoobs was in rare form to boot." Said Shaggy, prompting Daphne to laugh at the two.

"I'll translate for Shaggy. There's no question we're going to stay, so don't bother asking. The only reason we've made it this far is our commitment to our cases and to each other." Said Daphne.

Velma approved of her friend's sentiments, but she wasn't quite as sure. Ever the skeptic, always seeing the things they overlooked was what she did. Daphne and Shaggy didn't seem to mind the idea that they had been attacked, but the idea was frightening.

"It's one thing to be in the middle of a mystery. Mysteries have clues, suspects, things we can investigate, problems to solve… we can apply ourselves to unravel mysteries, that's what we do. Do you think this is a mystery Fred? Or are we in the middle of something else, something we don't have the experience dealing with?" Velma folded her arms, already knowing what her thoughts were, she merely wanted to provide the counter-point to her friend's optimism.

The quiet tension in the room was broken by Johnny waking up with a loud yawn, stretching his broad shoulders, his hand instinctively went for the comb in his pants pocket as he straightened his hair before standing up.

"Like, welcome to the waking world Johnny." Said Shaggy, going into a calming cycle of breathing.

"Howdy Scruffy." Said Johnny.

"That's Shaggy." Reminded Shaggy.

"Yeah whatever." Teased Johnny as he stretched his legs before looking down at the nearby bed.

"Hi Johnny." Said Velma, realizing her throat had gone dry again.

"Hi darlin'." Said Johnny, running his hand along the back of his head realizing that the term of endearment was a bit awkward, though Daphne didn't even try to hide the grin on her face.

"We were just talking about whether we wanted to stay in town or whether we should leave. What do you think Johnny?" Asked Daphne, fearlessly breaking the silence.

"Well now, that's one thing I was curious about. I got Velma's text the other day saying that you were in town on a case, I had a friend find out what hospital you were in and I came as soon as I could. Not sure what case you're working on though, so I don't know if I can be of any help." Said Johnny.

"Like, Zoinks! You're not going to believe this Johnny but we're kind of investigating you." Said Shaggy without thinking.

"Say what now?" Said Johnny.

"We were hired by your Aunt before she passed away to do some investigating for her." Said Fred.

Standing up again, Johnny walked to their evidence table and started going through their papers. Tossing aside books on ancient languages and horse racing, he picked up a printout of the Bravo family tree and traced his hand along the page.

"What kind of mystery are you folks working on that has you looking into my kinfolk?" Asked Johnny, his voice wavering as he said 'kinfolk'.

"Is that a problem?" Asked Daphne.

"I'm… I'm not rightly sure how I feel. See, this family tree you've got here doesn't even have me on it, barely has my mother. I never grew up with that usual family experience, like I knew about them but the only one I ever saw growing up was my Aunt. I hadn't seen the faces of most of my family members until the Will reading the other day. They cut my mama and I adrift, treated us like we didn't exist, like we didn't matter none." Taking off his sunglasses, Johnny wiped away his tears before putting his shades back on.

"We're not really investigating your family. Your Aunt asked us to investigate this." Said Fred, reaching into the box, he opened a dictionary at the bottom and pulled out the small, metallic gear that was hidden in its pages and handed it to Johnny.

"Do you know what that is?" Asked Daphne.

"It looks a lot like the do-hickey that Mama got from Aunt Jebedissa." Said Johnny, carefully handing it back to Fred.

"You mean that this might be part of a larger piece?" Asked Fred, looking to Velma for her answer to his earlier question.

"A single gear is pointless on its own, of course it would be part of something larger. I guess that is what Jebedissa wanted us to find out, and she left the gear to her sister thinking that we'd eventually come together to work on this." Said Velma, giving Fred a nod.

"So, you think the guy the other day was really sent to get this?" Johnny asked.

Grabbing the back of his neck nervously, Fred gave a hesitant nod.

"Magenta went through our boxes right before he left, but he didn't have enough time to find the gear. All he took was a bone we found in your family's crypt." Said Fred.

"My family treated me like dirt all my life, and now they're sending people after others. I'm not going to Stand for this any longer." Said Johnny, clenching his fists, he stood upright with all the manly firmness in his being.

A flicker of light crossed Velma's eyes, like the sun had come out from behind a cloud, and a golden aura surrounded Johnny. For a split second, she thought there was another person standing there, right beside Johnny. Rubbing her eyes for a moment, everything seemed back to normal, like the moment had passed, and the room was quiet and dim once again.

"Like, am I tripping right now, or did anyone else just see that?" Asked Shaggy.

"Reah, reah." Said Scooby-Doo.

"Jeepers." Said Daphne.


	15. Chapter 15

The Bravo home was a picture of pink perfection. Pulling into the driveway, Johnny parked his mother's pink Cadillac in the driveway and quickly threw the protective tarp over the vehicle. Giving a quick look to the garage, he was unable to recall even once in his life when the car had been parked inside. It did not take long for the Mystery Machine to pull up and park on the side of the road. Scooby-Doo practically exploded out of the back and ran across the lawn to take in the new sights. Still a little weak, the other members of Mystery Inc. left the van and lined up outside the home.

"Like check out the pink flamingos on the lawn. Your mom's got style, Johnny." Said Shaggy.

"It's a lovely little house." Said Daphne.

"You should see it during December. Mama goes all out and has a snow machine running the whole month. This may be Southern California, but she loves her White Christmas'." Said Johnny, leading the way to the front door, he held it open and motioned for everyone to make their way inside.

Adjusting her glasses as she went inside last, Velma seemed to have a hard time looking Johnny in the eye.

"You did make sure to tell your mother that we were coming. We didn't come by to cause any trouble." Said Velma.

"No, no trouble at all Velma. I called my mama and told her I was at the hospital that first night, told her not to worry none. Truth be told she insisted you all come by once you got better, that's the reason why I invited you over." Said Johnny, knowing that they would all likely be looking for clues or something while they were at the house, he was still glad they were all safe after the incident at the hospital.

Taking a deep breath, Velma went inside, and Johnny closed the door behind them.

"Oh goodness, you're all finally here. And right on time too. Go ahead and wash up, then sit yourselves at the table, I'm almost finished in here." Bunny Bravo's voice called from the kitchen.

"Your mom a good cook?" Shaggy asked, a little too enthusiastically.

"Kinda," Johnny replied. Over the past decade, he had spent most of his time at Pop's Diner, eating his meals there. While he loved his mother, she was always the first to admit that she wasn't a good cook. Scents from the kitchen of spices triggered a sensory memory.

"Lost in thought?" Daphne asked, seeing Johnny's expression.

"Oh, I was just reminded of an afternoon I spent in Daman, India. We were filming this big action scene for a movie during the morning, but rains came in and we took refuge in this little tandoori kitchen. Spent the rest of the day eating curry and arm wrestling all the stuntmen." Johnny said, smiling at the experience.

"I remember reading your posts about being in India. Like, how many movies did you wind up making over there?" Shaggy asked.

"You knew he was in India?" Fred asked.

"Like, I manage our social media. I friended Johnny and have been following him for years now. Figured it was like, an olive branch after we left him in the woods." Shaggy said, much to Fred's chagrin.

Before Johnny could answer, Bunny came in carrying four trays in her arms, setting down copper bowls of rice and curries and plates of freshly baked naan bread on the table.

"Now I made a couple of street curries, some tandoori chicken, a lamb biryani, and an aloo gobi if any of you are vegetarian. Dig in." Bunny said, taking her seat at the head of the table, unphased at the sight of a dog sitting in a chair next to her.

"Where did you learn to make this Mama?" Johnny looked over the spread, impressed at the sight and smell of it all.

"Well you know cooking was never my thing, but while I was over in India I figured I needed a hobby. That nice young man you worked with, Jiggy, he introduced me to a few professional chefs and one thing led to another. I think I picked up the basics." Bunny said, clearly bashful when it came to talking about herself.

The conversation was casual, company affable, and Scooby-Doo made sure every last bowl was clean before helping Shaggy and Johnny wash dishes as the meal came to an end. Eventually, everyone filtered into the living room, where a photo album sat atop the coffee table. Velma and Daphne were on either side of Bunny, laughing at a photo as Johnny walked in.

"You're not laughing at my baby pictures, are you?" Johnny asked, wincing at the thought.

"Oh no dear, baby pictures are too cliché. Now adolescent pictures of you all muddy and pouty with scraped knees and crying about being rejected from the Girl Scouts because you only wanted to flirt with them. Now those are priceless." Bunny said, holding up a photo of Johnny wearing a shirt that said 'lil Heartbreaker'.

"You have some incredible blue eyes." Said Daphne.

"We actually did see one of your baby pictures. You had really dark hair when you were born. Odd that it became so blonde." Said Velma.

"Well, I've done my part as a mother. Contractually obligated to embarrass my son at any opportunity. Johnny told me what you came to see, and I've got it here." Reaching down, Bunny pulled out another volume marked 'Family History' and set it on the album.

Opening the pages, Bunny turned the thick pages past genealogy charts and patterns of Scottish tartans. Each page seemed to go past decades of history before finally reaching the late 1800s.

"Here we are. Bryce Bravo. Second son of the Bravo Clan, a small family in the highlands. Worked as a highway guard but did his fair share of raiding. By the time he was twenty, he was given the option to leave the country or spend a decade in prison. So, he took the next ship to America with his horse, making landfall just in time to hear the announcement from Steven Steel himself about the Steel Ball Run." Said Bunny.

"Yes, I've read about how he disappeared for a year before making a fortune working with Steven Steel. Does your family have more information about any of that?" Fred asked.

"Not exactly. Well, there might be something back at the family mansion, but I never read anything." Said Bunny.

"I don't think we're going to be allowed to go back up there." Said Daphne, the others nodding in agreement.

Standing up, Velma seemed to command everyone's attention with her silence.

"If we're planning on staying on this case we need to establish what exactly the case is." Velma pulled out a glasses case from her pocket and placed it on the table. Opening it, she pulled out the strange gear and set it atop the picture of Brinsley Bravo.

"Well now, what is that little doohickey?" Bunny Asked, picking up the gear.

"That gear was hidden inside a key that your sister sent us before she died. We have no idea what it goes to or even what it's made of." Velma said.

"What it goes to… I wonder." Bunny stood up and walked out of the room, only to return a moment later with a white box. Inside was the dial she had gotten from Jebedissa.

"May I?" Velma asked, taking the dial from Bunny and examining it for a moment with her magnifying lens.

"They look like they're made of the same material, but the orb is smooth. There's no place for the gear to fit." Daphne said.

"I'm not seeing anything either…" Velma said, blinking as she adjusted the distance on her magnifying lens. For a split second, it seemed like she could see thin lines along the surface of the sphere.

"As for what it's made of. I think I can help you out there too." Bunny said as she motioned for everyone to follow down the hallway leading to the garage.

"Oh, come on Mama, not the garage. That place is a mess." Johnny said, going silent as his mother turned on the light switch.

What was once a mess of boxes full of old props and posters and cobweb-covered workout equipment now looked more like a museum with a Bollywood flair. Movie posters and product advertisements covered the walls and hung from the rafters with what looked like Christmas lights. Faint scents of dried flowers gave the garage a lightly sweet and dry smell.

"Roah, reck rout rall rof rhis." Scooby-Doo said, paws up on a desk with Johnny's portrait upon it, a red dot prominently drawn upon his forehead.

"Yeah, I had a few fans over in India," Johnny said, unable to hide a bashful expression.

"I still don't have this room how I like it. Now let me see where I put it." Bunny said, lifting a tarp from a large shape in the corner of the room. As the dust fell away, a strange device was clearly visible.

"Like, what a strange snow cone maker," Shaggy said.

"It's an electron microscope," Velma said, seeming a little surprised.

"I did this one movie where we were doing stunts in a science lab, at first we were going to get a prop electron microscope, but it turned out to be cheaper to get a real one, so we did that," Johnny said.

Starting up the machine, Bunny handed the gear to Velma and pulled up a chair as they all gathered around. Not even needing a minute to acquaint herself with the device, she had already worked out the lenses and was taking pictures of the metal disc.

"Shouldn't we have safety gear for this?" Daphne asked.

"This is a new design. Just sends out light particles, absolutely safe." Velma said, refining the scopes.

"See anything yet?" Fred asked.

"Turn on the monitor, you should be able to see what I see. This metal is smooth, very smooth, definitely not brass or bronze, it's not like anything I've seen before. Seems to have a hexagonal crystalline structure, but the lines along the surface are too clean, it's too perfect. There's dirt on the surface, but no scratches." Velma sat back and looked up at the monitor with the others.

"Zoinks. Like, does that mean anything?" Shaggy asked.

"It looks pretty advanced, but we don't know who or what made it," Velma said.

"Well aren't you just the prettiest thing I ever saw?" A familiar voice said from behind, before letting out a loud 'meow'.

"I beg your pardon?" Daphne said, turning around to look at the flirtatious yellow cat.

"Don't mean nothing by it, sweetheart. Just dropped by to see Johnny here." Top Cat said, taking off his hat in apology.

"You find something out T.C.?" Johnny asked.

"Sure thing boss. I've had my boys follow-up on your family, there's been a lot of buzz down in Chinatown, we spotted that freak with the purple top hat down there with some dude with skunked hair." Top Cat said.

"Magenta Magenta," Fred said.

"And Cousin Brandon," Johnny added.

Scooby-Doo walked over to sniff Top Cat, unsure what to make of the feline.

"There's this little place that trades in antiquities my kittens have seen them hovering around, a place that does a lot of business with your family company from what I gather." Top Cat traced his paw across a dried flower garland and rubbed his fingers together.

"That's all the proof I need. Magenta is working for our family. Sorry Mama, but I think we're headed back out." Johnny said.

"Tonight? Isn't it a bit late to go." Bunny asked.

"It's barely six o'clock. We can make it down there before they close and figure out what's going on. I promise we'll be back before midnight." Johnny said.

"Well, you are old enough to have your own curfew, so alright." Bunny teased.

"Thanks for your hospitality Mrs. Bravo," Fred said.

"Like, we'll see you around Mrs. B," Shaggy added.

"Oh, please boys, no need to be so formal. Call me Bunny." Bunny said, all too aware of how uncomfortable she had just made the two of them.


	16. Chapter 16

Red Dust Imports Ltd. had the look of a hundred other buildings in Chinatown, bright red letters against a beige building with a few ornamental facades which gave the box factory a vaguely oriental flair. Looking back over her shoulder, Velma spied Johnny sitting in the back of the Mystery Machine but had not followed his conversation with Shaggy as her mind had been distracted. Strange dreams, murderous plots, conflicted feelings she thought she had let go, and a hundred other questions wracked her mind, filling her with all the tension which sat between Scooby-Doo and Top Cat occupying the back seat.

"Pull up into that alley over there, that's where I've got my boys." said Top Cat.

Fred brought the van to a stop and everyone climbed out into the alley behind a makeshift barricade of cardboard boxes and half-broken crates. A crew of five cats assembled as Top Cat walked before them like an army officer before his squad.

An orange tabby with a purple shirt handed a file over to Top Cat while a shorter blue cat with a white jacket presented a handful of polaroid photographs.

"Let's see here. Red Dust Imports is a subsidiary of Northeast Shipping, which is a tax-shelter for something called Zanastar Holdings, which is a business partner with Bravo Enterprises." said Top Cat going through the folder, the members of his cat troupe seemed to brim with pride as their boss read the results of their research. Flipping through the photos, revealed a number of unfamiliar faces each with a date labeled within the past week. With a shrug, Top Cat handed the photos over to the others.

"Apparently, your Aunt Joyce has been spotted here a number of times." said Fred, handing a polaroid over to Johnny.

"Technically, Joyce is Johnny's First Cousin." said Velma, correcting the common familial mislabel.

"Their business profile is wild," said Spook, a yellow cat with purple tie chimed in, "the inventory going through this place is either low-end novelty trash, or high-end medicinal ingredients. Apparently after the Steel Ball Run, Bryce Bravo got into business with this place and started importing ginseng and other stuff from China. Recently they've been shifting into more quality stuff like antiques and providing security for discreet transportation."

"I checked the police database, and there's no records about this place ever having any trouble with the law or smuggling. It's nearly as clean as I am." said Fancy, who took a moment to polish his claws on his white scarf.

"Good work boys, I think we'll take it from here." said Top Cat, giving a nod to his crew.

"You too T.C." said Johnny, who was about to cut off Top Cat's protest but with a spin of his cane the cat dashed around the back corner of the alley with a distant call of "good luck then" echoing through the empty passage.

"Rood Riddance." said Scooby-Doo, clearly displeased at the thought of working with cats.

"So, like what's the plan? Should we do a classic number seven?" asked Shaggy.

"Number seven?" repeated Johnny confusedly.

"That's where we show up with seven pizzas pretending to be delivery boys as a distraction to sneak in."

"Not really sure that would work Shag." said Daphne.

"Should we go for Chinese food instead?" asked Shaggy.

"No, because Johnny just crossed the street and is going in without a plan." said Daphne, pointing out that Johnny had reached the doorway leading into Red Dust without a second thought.

"That idiot." said Velma waiting a moment for a delivery truck to pass by on the road before running off after him, with the others right behind her. Johnny's boldness let him easily approach any situation, but when combined with his streak of thoughtlessness, it sometimes made for a frustrating combination.

Opening the glass double doors, the Mystery Gang crammed into the tight entryway which led them through a narrow passage to the left which wound to an ornate waiting room with indoor fountains, red lanterns, and potted plants and flowers kept in immaculate condition. At the help desk, Johnny was chatting with a receptionist who was actually laughing at his lines. As they approached, Velma realized he was speaking Cantonese to her.

"Hēi, piàoliang māmā, qǐng gěi jīnglǐ dǎ diànhuà." said Johnny.

(Hey pretty mama, please call the manager.)

Laughing at Johnny's flirting, the older woman covered her mouth and regained her composure as her supervisor looked up from his desk behind the counter. Standing up, she nodded her head as she welcomed everyone else to the room.

"I'm sorry Mr. Bravo, but the manager is currently not in. Truth be told we're about ready to close for the day, so if you'd like to make an appointment for tomorrow." Still seeming somewhat flattered from Johnny's flirting, the receptionist's attention was focused on Johnny, not noticing Johnny wave his hand behind his back, giving the direction of the staircase leading up to the offices.

"Well I'm still considering my options for overseas transport. Do you happen to have some company brochures or other literature I could read through, Amy?" asked Johnny, reading her nametag.

"Certainly, one moment." said the receptionist, turning around in place before turning back to her desk to grab some pamphlets.

Taking advantage of the split second she was turned around, Velma spied Johnny reach over the top of her counter and mess with her computer before returning to his place. Following Fred's lead, Velma and the others went up the stairs and rounded the corner completely out of sight of the supervisor, who was more focused on his electronic device than his surroundings.

"Hold it here gang." said Fred, peeking around the corner in the upstairs hallway. "Cameras are everywhere up here."

No sooner did Fred warn the gang than Johnny strolled up the stairs and into the hallway past everyone.

"What are you guys doing hiding there?" asked Johnny.

"Hiding from the camera." said Fred.

"Oh, I took care of that. Put the security monitors on pause and unplugged the feed cable from the back of her computer. Told her that you were waiting outside for me. Then I said I needed to use the restroom. I'd say we've got about five minutes to poke around."

"That was pretty smooth Johnny." said Daphne, vocalizing everyone's seeming impressed reaction to Johnny's seat of his pants plan.

"So, where to?" asked Shaggy.

"Let's split up gang." said Fred, eliciting muted groans from the others.

"How about we try these offices?" said Daphne, which met with the group's approval.

Entering the upstairs offices was like walking into a secret vault. Glass cases displayed art and artifacts of Chinese origin, each meticulously labeled and secured.

"They have painting from Zhang Xuan? I thought this place was some second-rate trade house." said Velma.

"For all this, security seemed pretty lacking." said Fred.

Walking over to a window, Velma looked down onto the warehouse floor, where a group of men stood waiting as a truck entered through the loading bay. In a quick moment of fright she feared the light in the room would have alerted them, but realized the window they were looking through was tinted and probably gave off no light into the warehouse.

"Check out the chrome dome down there. He's one of the guys from those cat's polaroids, right?" asked Shaggy.

Flipping through the photos, Velma found the one matching the man in the loading bay. Simply labeled, 'Zanastar?' the alley cats clearly did not have a solid ID on the man just yet.

"What's he waiting there for?" asked Fred.

"Think he's waiting on them." said Johnny, pointing at four large men carrying a large, bronze bowl.

Unlike most bronze works, this one was like the two strange objects they had found thus far. There was no sign of patina on the metal, it was solid but seemed to radiate heat and energy even from as far away as they were. Carefully lowered into a crate, the bowl was sealed shut and loaded into the truck. As the back was closed, the words "Marina Paso Del Norte" were labeled, and Velma took quick note of them.

"We should get going." said Fred, cautious about not wanting to get caught.

"Oh, pardon me, I didn't realize this room was still occupied." Called a voice from behind. Turning around, Velma spotted a dog in a janitor's outfit sporting a large nametag labeled 'Penrod' bringing in a vacuum and a bucket with cleaning supplies. "Typically, these offices are closed by this hour of the day, and an employee would be escorting guests through them, and usually the hallways cameras would be working properly. Especially on days when important and confidential business is being conducted down in the warehouse. But, that's none of my business now, I'm just the janitor."

"Right then, we'll just be on our way then." said Shaggy, casually walking out of the room.  
"Reah, ron rour ray." said Scooby-Doo.

Closing the door behind them, the gang spied around for an alternate exit, and found a hallway leading to a fire escape ladder leading to the alley below.

"Stop right there, criminal scum. Hi-Yaw!" shouted a voice from behind as a dog in a red and white karate gi leapt through the air at them.


	17. Chapter 17

Responding to the attack on instinct, Johnny's Stand came out to block a flying kick from the guard dog, but a chop from the canine's paw grazed his Stand's metallic hair, filling the hallway with a lingering reverberation. Landing on the windowsill between the Mystery Gang and freedom, the dog spun around and threatened all with a open palm, Wing Chun stance.

"Not a bad block kid, but if you think you're getting away from me, you're a dumpling dummy." said the dog.

Quickly scanning the hallway, Johnny saw their only other options were to go out the way they came, or to take a far door which would lead down into the warehouse. Neither choice was ideal, the window fire escape was the only way to guarantee they wouldn't be caught. Walking past the others, he stood face to face with the dog and assumed his own fighting stance.

"We don't have time for this, we have to go." said Fred, eyeing the path down to the warehouse.

Feinting with a right jab, Johnny let the dog block his punch, but with his left hand he reached forward to grab the dog's red gi and pulled with all his might into a throw. Flipping through the air, the dog landed on his feet and slid down the tiles halfway down the long corridor.

"Everyone out now." said Johnny, who felt Shaggy and Scooby-Doo race past him and down the ladder.

"You're just going to stay behind?" asked Daphne.

"I can handle myself if I get caught. After the incident at the hospital, they likely have their eyes on you guys." said Johnny.

While Fred and Daphne took their turns to leave, Velma pause for a moment. Lightly tapping Johnny on the shoulder, all she could say was, "Good luck," before escaping with her friends.

"Honor among thieves. You volunteer to stay behind so your friends can escape. I almost like you boy." said the dog, righting himself as he walked forward.

"We're no thieves." said Johnny. "And I admit I like your style as well; it brings me no pleasure having to fight you."

The last light of the sun beamed through the glass windows, illuminating the hallway with shadowed crosses which crept across the floor. His sneakers squeaking into the floor tiles, Johnny got a footing he liked before rushing forward with a roundhouse kick. Stopping mere inches from the dog's head, Johnny saw a glow of green hands had caught his leg in mid-air and held him in place.

"Have a taste of Jade Justice." said the dog, with a straight punch which Johnny knew would miss him by at least a foot. As his hand moved forward, one of the glowing hands on Johnny's leg moved through the air and pressed against the dog's fist, guiding it towards Johnny's abdomen, and even twisting the fist slightly turning the jab into a screw punch.

Barely able to block with the open palm of his own Stand, Johnny was knocked into the wall between two windows, with an impact so hard he could feel the space between every brick.

Posing and kicking into the air to show off, the dog flipped, and somersaulted, and every movement seemed to be corrected by the two hands which flew around him in a frenzy to keep his balance centered and his feet steady when he landed. Without the stand, it was likely that the dog was liable to hurt himself, but with it he was a whirlwind of martial arts.

Dusting himself off, Johnny stood and regained his composure. He faced a foe with incredible defensive and offensive powers. It would be no small feat to bring him down.

"I'm Johnny Bravo, of Bravo's gym and dojo." said Johnny.

"Hong Kong Phooey, number one hero guy." said the dog.

Recognizing one another with a formal bow, the two fighters finally began their fight.

Feinting with another right jab, this time Johnny followed up by dropping into a spinning sweep kick. Hong Kong Phooey merely hopped over Johnny and raised both paws before leaning into a double strike which grazed off Johnny's shoulder blade and lower back.

Breathing hard as he spun back, Johnny let loose a flurry of punches, which Hong Kong Phooey dodged all while calmly stepping backwards. The hands from his Stand were doing all the work, gently pushing Johnny's fists aside or blocking just long enough for the dog to move into a safe position. No longer moving back, Hong Kong Phooey advanced into Johnny's attacks and leapt forward in another flying kick. One of the green hands flew around to the backside to push and add force to the attack, while the other quickly adjusted the angle of every joint on Hong Kong's leg to ensure that the kick would hurt Johnny, but prevent the dog from hurting himself.

With the added force from the second hand, Johnny's Stand was unable to maintain its guard and the kick landed with all the force of a heart bump right into Johnny's upper-left chest. This time the force sent him into a window, but thankfully Johnny's hair prevented the glass from cutting or hurting his head.

Rising from the ground once again, Johnny pulled his comb from his pocket and made sure his hair was alright. His Stand also had a comb in its hand, and Johnny wondered if the strange power it had manifested in the fight with top cat would work against Hong Kong Phooey. Perhaps he could freeze the dog in place and make his own getaway, but would he be happy with a cheap victory like that? Putting his comb away, Johnny cracked his knuckles and once again began his attack.

"You're persistent, I'll give you that." said Hong Kong Phooey. "But you need to learn when you're out of your league kid."

Punches flew between the two, but each time Johnny could feel the limit of his Stand. The Green Hands were faster than his own, and Hong Kong's punches felt like punching steel. His left jab met fist to paw against Hong Kong and he could feel his bone crack. Blocking a chop was like stopping an axe with his forearm and every tendon and nerve in his right arm felt severed even though his skin was unbroken. Hong Kong blocked an attempted kick, catching Johnny's foot, and with the gentlest pull, he felt the dog dislocate his ankle. Pushing back on the leg, Hong Kong left Johnny lying on the ground a broken pile of pain.

A voice from down the hall called out.

"Did we have a break in? Was it those strange kids?" said a distant voice in heavily accented English.

Johnny saw Hong Kong Phooey turn his head for a moment, and as dishonorable as it felt, he crawled his way down the hall to the door at the far end.

"Down here." said Hong Kong Phooey, looking back down the hall. "No, not in the break room they were already in there. Over here. Oh, they already went inside there, now they can't hear me. Those Shanghai silly-heads."

Reaching up, Johnny let his Stand open the door and he found himself at the top of a long stairway which had a landing half-way down. Even making it to the landing might be too optimistic in his condition though. As he passed through the doorway though, he heard a loud snap of wood around him. Looking up, Johnny saw his Stand had broken the doorposts and lintel, almost shattering the wood into splinters.

"Oh no you don't." shouted Hong Kong Phooey, racing towards Johnny, finally noticing his escape attempt. With a straight kick, Hong Kong thought Johnny too weak to even defend against that, but somehow Johnny felt his strength had returned to him and rising with an uppercut, he caught Hong Kong dead on and smashed the dog into the ceiling.

"Whoa mama!" exclaimed Johnny, rising to his feet, he flexed his muscles and felt as though every injury he had sustained had immediately disappeared.

The sensation was oddly familiar. Thinking back to the hospital, he recalled being shot in the chest, falling to the floor, barely able to manage crawling his way out of the room, but as soon as he crossed the doorway his Stand had done the exact same thing, broken the door post, healing him as though he had never been in that room or received those wounds.

With a crash of wood overhead, Johnny realized Hong Kong Phooey was recovering and would soon be on the warpath. Quickly jumping down the stairway, he reached the warehouse floor and found himself among a sea of crates of novelty umbrellas, cheap ceramic dragon statues, and paper lanterns.

"Nice trick you have, recovering like that." said Hong Kong Phooey. "Almost makes me excited wondering how many times I'll have to beat you down before you stay down."

Peeking out the open loading door, Johnny looked and saw the alleyway where the Mystery Machine had been parked. Thankfully it was now gone, and the others were away.

"Actually, you don't have to wonder." said Johnny, raising his hands in the air. "I give up. Call the cops, you caught me breaking and entering."

With that, the green hands of Hong Kong Phooey's Stand faded and the dog's demeanor changed from hostile to serene.

"Knowing when you are beaten is a sign of wisdom." said Hong Kong Phooey, who kept watch over Johnny as the last lights of day were replaced by the red and blue lights of police sirens.

* * *

Stand Guide:

Kung Fu Fighting (1972 song by Carl Douglas) - Stand of Hong Kong Phooey

Power - C

Speed - A

Range - D

Durability/Endurance - B

Precision - A

Development - C

Kung Fu Fighting appears as two Glowing, Green Hands which float in close proximity to Hong Kong Phooey's body. While they serve to block enemy attacks, the Hands are mostly kept busy adjusting Hong Kong Phooey's own body as he attacks his opponents. Normally Hong Kong Phooey's attacks are ineffectual and dangerous to himself, but with this Stand his attacks become precise and dangerous, even sometimes giving him an extra boost in power.


	18. Chapter 18

The waiting room at the police station wasn't quite what Johnny expected. No mirror glass, no link on the table to be handcuffed to, and what's worse it was a well-lit with tan walls. At a time like this, he actually would have liked the mirror, to check on his hairdo if nothing else.

Having been two hours since his arrest, he could only guess why they were making him wait. Was it to make him nervous, sweat out a confession? Could he hold under pressure, or would he buckle and give up his accomplices? Every time he tried imaging the scenario, the tan walls of the room brought him out of the illusion. This was no police procedural drama; it was real life and that thought felt so boring and unsatisfying.

An officer with a clipboard and a tired expression which betrayed years of filling out the same paperwork in triplicate every day.

"Just for the record, can you state your name and birthdate and last four digits of your social security number?" asked the officer.

Sitting up straight, Johnny complied with the request and the officer scribbled on his papers before letting out a sigh.

"And were you made aware of your rights when you were taken into custody by the officers?" the officer asked.

"I was." said Johnny.

Reaching over the table, the officer unlocked Johnny's handcuff and gave him the clipboard and a pen. "Please sign there and initial there." The officer instructed and Johnny complied. Before handing the clipboard back, Johnny saw a strange seal on the document, which seemed to be some kind of release form.

Rising from his seat, the officer gave a knock on the door as it was unlocked, and he exited into the hallway. "He's all yours then Agent."

"Thank you Officer Sidney." said a woman with an authoritative and slightly British accent.

Shutting the door behind her, the woman hung up her overcoat before sitting at the table across from him. Her cool gaze hidden behind designer sunglasses stood in sharp contrast to her red hair and a clear passion for her profession.

"I never forget a face. It's nice to see you again, Ms. Bonded." said Johnny.

"I'm surprised you remember Mr. Bravo. What with all the neurotoxin and drugs you were accidentally exposed during our last encounter." said Jane.

"Oh, I don't remember any of that. Just something about you kissing me and spending the next week in a coma."

"My apologies for that."

"I've had worse dates."

"Quite." said Jane, obviously hoping that the pleasantries were out of the way.

"So, what brings you out my way again? I didn't stumble upon you while you were working, did I? You weren't disguised as that dog, were you?" asked Johnny.

"Not exactly. You see, Agent Penrod is one of our deep cover operatives. Usually we put him on low threat assignments, but recently he's been on a hot streak, so we've given him more complex and dangerous tasks, which he's succeeded at marvelously." said Jane.

"You mean the pooch that beat me up seven ways from Sunday? He works for you?" asked Johnny.

"Well over the years he's been transferred from one agency to another, we took him in a few years ago just to keep him from becoming a freelancer."

"Consider yourselves lucky then. He's a sharp one."

"Quite." said Jane, looking over Johnny's torn and dirty clothes.

"So… is this the part where you ask me what I was doing at Red Dust Imports?" asked Johnny.

"You're working with Mystery Incorporated to investigate a case regarding strange artifacts connected with your extended family in the wake of the death of your Aunt Jebedissa." said Jane.

"Okay, so you have a better handle on it than I do." said Johnny.

"You've been tagged in no fewer than six social media posts with Mystery Incorporated in the past two days." said Jane, handing over printouts of Shaggy's instafriend and mylink posts.

"Well so much for hoping I could keep them out of trouble." said Johnny.

"Oh, I'm afraid you're in worse trouble than you realize." said Jane. "You see, your extended family are tied in with some very shady enterprises. While Red Dust is clean, we've found enough evidence of their associated companies of everything from gun running to industrial espionage to tie them up in lawsuits for the next decade."

"So, you're going to chew me out for almost jeopardizing your operation?" asked Johnny.

"Not exactly. You see, we were never quite able to place who their overseas partner was. Until today." Jane handed Johnny a photo of a bald, vaguely Asian man that Shaggy had taken a polaroid of.

"Yeah, this is the guy at the warehouse tonight. He was loading some crates there tonight." said Johnny, deciding to keep quiet about the strange bronze artifacts.

"Vogel Zanastar. We've had a file on him for some time, but it's been nothing but question marks. All we've known about is the name and a few shaky potential leads and dead end leads and accomplices. But whatever you and Mystery Incorporated are up to has… shaken the beehive as it were."

"Is this the part where you tell me to back off because it's too dangerous?" asked Johnny.

"That's what my superiors would suggest, but I have operational discretion for this mission. And my gut tells me that the kind of trouble you're liable to get up to is just what I need to break the case." said Jane, taking back the folder from Johnny.

"And if I don't cooperate, I guess you'd throw me back to the cops." Johnny stated, knowing the answer behind her frosty expression was a yes. "Okay, I'll do it, but only because I was planning on sticking my nose into this with or without your permission."

"It is shaping up to be an odd mix of a family situation with very personal stakes." said Jane. "I can't guarantee your safety in this matter, nor can I offer you any direct help. But perhaps an emergency lifeline might help." Sliding a card across the table, Jane stood up from the desk and went to the door. "Don't bother asking how to contact me, I'll keep in touch."

Placing his hand on the card, Johnny kept his gaze on Jane as she put her coat back on and left. Tapping the desk, he finally read the card. It held only a single name and number: "Race 207-xxx-xxxx"

* * *

The office room of Joyce Bravo was like something that had survived the 1980s in immaculate condition. It was a room designed to make the owner feel powerful, and everyone else uncomfortable. LED strips imitating neon lights lining the floor and ceiling seemed to pulse in steady stream, ever so slightly changing their color over time. Barbarosa Hanne stood with a file in his hands, filled with paperwork disclosing several concerns he had about the transfer of Jebedissa's belongings to Joyce and her company. But even as his hands clutched the file for his own support, he doubted Joyce cared about what he had to say.

Thinking it best to not mention the will just yet, he knew he had to speak his mind about other matters which had been forced on him by his former client's cousin. Particularly concerning why they had asked him to help cover up the attack at the hospital.

"I'm just saying I don't see the point to all of this." said Barbarosa.

"Losing your cool Mr. Hanne?" asked Joyce, tapping her foot to the beat of a half-remembered song.

"When your lawyer, Mr. Shankar asked me to make… inquiries about the hospital attack, I did it as a personal favor. I didn't ask why, that's not my concern. But when my contact at the police department was given a promotion and moved to another division across town, that disrupts my usual flow of business." Feeling the need to calm his nerves, Barbarosa moved to the open bar and poured himself some seltzer water on ice.

"It was cleaner that way. A long-overdue promotion, putting a case into back logs, it'll be months before any details from that unfortunate incident come to light." said Joyce. "But that's not really why you're here, is it?"

"No. Though Curly finished up his duties as executor of Jebedissa's will, as her former attorney I still have a few things I need to clear up before I can consider this matter closed."

"Are you sure it's not smarter to just leave it alone?" Asked Brandon, who seemed to be tapping out a melody on the arms of his chair with his fingers.

"Perhaps it is. But I have the feeling that this concerns your affairs as well. About how some of Jebedissa's possessions were not enumerated in the will that have gone missing."

"Oh, those brats from the other day made off with a few books and didn't return them. Not our biggest concern." said Joyce dismissively.

"You think I'd be here about some books?" asked Barbarosa.

"Do tell then Mr. Hanne." said Joyce as she moved to the center of the room, her eyes turned to the file in his hands.

"It's none of my business what you do with what is now your property. But over the past three decades as I served as Jebedissa's lawyer, she was always… hesitant about mentioning her family, let alone getting involved in any business deals. In that time, she had me do a number of investigations on her behalf, some of which were done at great expense. Now, with her death my relationship as her agent is technically terminated, but as her long-time friend, in the few days since I have known you, I must confess that I now share her reservations."

"That's the most professional way anyone has ever told me to my face that I'm a heartless monster." said Joyce.

"Professional, yes. But do you remember that guy with half a mustache in Rio who cursed you out for a solid five minutes? I still say he has the record." said Brandon.

"Oh yes him… I remember now. He only had half a mustache because you cut off the other half of his lip. It was impressive how he managed to talk after that." said Joyce, shifting her weight.

The atmosphere had shifted so quickly in the room that Barbarosa felt cold. Turning quickly, he opened the door, knowing that both of them were too far away to reach him before he could leave. Then the world turned, as though he was standing still and the walls, floor and ceiling around him were shifting. Against his will, he found himself moving towards the desk, where he stood before Joyce, practically paralyzed by the experience.

"I'll take this, thank you Mr. Hanne." said Joyce, taking the file in her gentle hand and pressing her lips against his cheek.

A kiss on the cheek, and a knife in the back. Mr Hanne gasped for breath as the blade turned and a hand went to his throat, strangling his vocal cords before he could scream.

"I still say that always reminds me of that one music video. You know the one with the hallway and the moving furniture?" said Brandon.

"You know, I was paying attention this time and I see what you mean. It's a nice song, but I always wondered whether it's cultural appropriation for an English band to have a Native American motif." said Joyce.

"I prefer to think of it as cultural appreciation." said Brandon, as he tightened his grip on Mr. Hanne's throat. And the light of the world faded as all the strength of life left Barbarosa Hanne's body.

* * *

Reference:  
Officer Sidney - George Sidney, the third of Hanna-Barbera Studios.


	19. Chapter 19

"I still don't have a good feeling about leaving Johnny behind like that." said Daphne, still mulling as the Mystery Machine made the exit to Aaron City.

"Seems to have become a running gag with us at this point." said Shaggy. "Like, besides, he asked us to leave him behind."

"I'm sure he'll be fine." said Fred, biting his tongue as he held back from saying anything further.

"Where to then? Back to his mother's place, so we can tell her we abandoned her son again?" said Velma.

"Ruh, ruys. Rye rhink re're reeing rollowed." said Scooby-Doo, pressing his paw against the tinted back window of the Mystery Machine.

Two black SUVs with government plates had been following them since they had exited the highway, and within three blocks from the Bravo house, two more came in from the front leading a convoy to the festively decorated house. Parked neatly in the driveway was the Bravo's pink Cadillac and a fifth government vehicle.

Gulping loudly, Shaggy started shaking. "Like guys, I know we've been through a lot together, but this time I'm genuinely scared out of my mind."

"Relax Shaggy, we're in California." said Fred, trying his best to lighten the mood.

A dozen agents with black suits and earpieces got out of the cars and checked the surroundings before practically blending into the early evening light. Exiting the van, Velma led the march to the front door, unimpressed with the theatrics of whatever alphabet agency they were dealing with. Opening the door, Velma saw Bunny going over a folder at the kitchen table with an agent with all the ferocity of a tiger.

"How many people do I have to tell that my piano keys are made from Jarina seeds, not Ivory. Unless you're here about the Nevada properties, I know my gaming license is expired but I only have a stake in those hotels, I don't own or operate any of them anymore." said Bunny, going through a mental list of things she might be in trouble for.

Looking past the agents sweeping the rooms, Velma saw a woman looking over family photos by the far wall. Running her dark fingers over everything, she seemed disappointed at the lack of dust. Turning her head, Velma recognized her immediately.

"Calm down Mrs. Bravo. She's not here for you." said Velma. "This seems a little excessive, even for you Ms. Waller."

Motioning to the cough, Amanda Waller took a seat in the living room as the rest of Mystery Incorporated entered the house as an agent closed the door behind them. Over a walkie-talkie, a voice called out, "Area secure" with a sharp electronic beep.

"Why did you turn down the position at STAR Labs?" asked Amanda, looking over a folder in her hands.

"You came all this way to ask me that?" asked Velma.

"Over five hundred credit hours in advanced college courses, some professors bent over backwards just to include you in their classes through online means, yet you haven't finished a single degree, you've done experimental work out of your home on everything from chemistry to particle physics that would make you a doctor at any research laboratory in the country. Yet, you spend your time in a van with your friends, chasing minor criminals in masks." said Amanda.

"What are you? My career counselor?" asked Velma.

"Of course, considering the company you keep, it's no surprise you waste your energies on low talent thugs and gangsters." said Amanda.

Fred, Daphne, and Shaggy shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

"She means our little adventures with Batman and Wonder Woman." said Velma, reassuring her friends.

"I'm not sure if reminding us of that makes us feel better or worse." said Fred.

"It just means we're on a watchlist and this is a courtesy visit." said Velma.

"Actually, running into you was a coincidence this time." said Amanda, stretching her legs.

"Beg your parson?" asked Velma.

"We do keep tabs on you, yes. You are on one of our low risk watch lists. But this visit was actually about our mutual friend." Pulling out a picture of Johnny, she laid it on the coffee table with a light tap.

"Johnny's on a watchlist too?" asked Daphne.

"Johnny's on a higher priority watchlist than we are?" deduced Fred.

"How about we rewind and take this one subject at a time." said Amanda, giving a nod to one of her men, who disappeared into the kitchen. "Velma, Star Labs."

"I don't want to be tied down to a single location. Our work on the road has been a positive experience for all of us, not to mention our extended families." said Velma.

"Which is why you turned down Mr. Bravo when he proposed to you." said Amanda.

"Yeah…" said Velma.

"Is that the reason why you stayed out in California for a few months four years ago?" asked Fred. "You were dating Johnny and things were getting serious?"

"I figured it was something like that," said Shaggy.

Daphne, who knew the whole story already, placed her hand on Velma's knee and gave Amanda Waller a dirty look.

"We'll shelve that talk for another time." said Amanda, putting a second photograph on the table. A photo of a middle-aged man with brown hair covered with dozens of small skunk spots. "Any of you recognize this man?"

"Never seen him before." said Fred, examining the picture.

"Are you quite sure? How about you Norville?" asked Amanda, using Shaggy's given name.

"Doesn't ring any bells." said Shaggy.

"Is that so?" Placing a third picture on the table showed a dining room where a man matching the picture was dressed in a golfing uniform while Shaggy and Scooby gorged towers of sandwiches off to the side. "Does the name, Chancellor Keenan sound familiar at all?"

"Chancellor? I thought that name sounded funny." said Shaggy, remembering the lunch at the country club. "He's with that Birdman here. Yeah, I remember this… but we didn't talk with the guy and I couldn't tell you anything that they said."

"I've made people disappear over less involvement in less important things than this." said Amanda, brutally serious as a muscular man came in to hand her a teacup.

Examining the photos with her magnifying glass, Velma blinked twice as the photos seemed to have writing on them. Pulling away her magnifying glass, she thought she must have been mistaken as there was nothing there but the image. Bringing the magnifier over the photo again, however, revealed the text once more.

"Chancellor Carey Keenan, Director of Operations for NWP Development, graduated Yale Law summa cum laude, Law Partner of Rai Shankar…" said Velma.

"That's right." said Amanda, taking another sip of her tea, she must have assumed that this was just naturally Velma's know-it-all brain at work, not realizing that Velma knew nothing about the man other than what she had just read. "Strange that you crossed paths with the head of the Bravo family business right before going up to Jebedissa's funeral."

"It's a small world. You have to account for coincidences." said Velma.

"I suppose I must. You're right. This has all just been a misunderstanding." said Amanda, as she reached down to pick up her vibrating cell phone.

"Can we ask why Johnny is on a watchlist, or do we have to wait two years for a freedom of information act request to be processed?" asked Fred.

"That's a story for another time." said Amanda. "Right now, let's talk about your story. Tonight you and Johnny were at Red Dust Imports. Our agents contacted Johnny and he's agreed to help our investigation into the bald man you saw." Setting a fourth picture down, everyone saw it was a low-resolution photo of that Zanastar man.

"We've got a better picture of this guy." said Shaggy, placing the polaroid photo taken by the cats on the table. Shockingly, Waller was taken aback by this as she examined the picture before snapping her fingers and holding out her hand until Shaggy complied and handed over the rest of the pictures.

"Vogel Zanastar. He's one of my 'back burner' projects, someone I've been keeping an eye on, tried sending some agents to contact him with no luck. The man does not exist. But, I don't want you to concern yourselves with him."

"If this is your way of getting us to cooperate with one of your investigations, I can't say you're going about it the best way." said Daphne.

"Sweetheart, when I want someone to cooperate with me, believe me, I'm not this gentle." said Amanda. Dropping a packet of tickets on the table, Amanda finished her tea and handed it off to her assistant.

"West Edge Race Club?" said Fred, examining the tickets.

"You've stumbled onto the Bravo family business. As far as we can tell there were three sides to it. Jebedissa owned land, lots of land. Her cousin, Joyce, managed overseas trade and shipping. Her uncle, Joshua, is the owner of NWP Development, which secretly bought up tons of farmland during the depression. Now, we're having people look into Joyce's dealing, but we'd like you to make some headway into NWP. Joshua rarely makes public appearances at his age, seeing as how he's pushing ninety, but he still makes it out to the race track he owns which also holds one of his main offices. We want you to peek around and see if you can find anything." said Amanda.

"Is this some backdoor recruitment? Because if it is, I don't like it. I don't trust you one bit." said Velma.

"Reah, rhat roes rouble roar ree." said Scooby-Doo.

"Kids, I do things three ways. The first way is I politely ask. The second way is I blackmail you into doing what I want, or I ruin your families and your lives. The third way is I imprison you, plant bombs in your necks, and you work for me until you die. If you weren't clear, this is me asking politely." said Amanda, with all the menace of a cobra.

Clearly defeated by the situation, Daphne asked, "What exactly is it you want us to do then?"

"Don't be so down kids, I'm sure you're going to love this. See, we're not exactly sure Joshua is who he says he is. All I want is some proof to back up this suspicion. Find evidence to support this, and I'll be out of your hair for good. No strings, respectful distance, back to the way things were. Deal?"

Velma looked around at her friends and could tell that none of them were thinking that this must be what it's like to make a deal with the devil. The only worse thing she could imagine is if she had taken the job offer from LexCorp she had gotten a year ago.

"Alright, gang. I say we do it." said Fred.

"I mean, we were already sticking our noses into this family business. Now it's like we have the government's permission to do it." said Shaggy, but a disapproving eye from Waller communicated 'this is not a sanctioned operation' without a word.

"Before we say yes," said Velma, turning her magnifying glass over in her hands again, Velma thought about the strange dreams she had, and the bizarre experience with the writing on the photographs, "would you mind giving us back those photographs?"


End file.
